For Love  For Us  For Brittany
by SimonSeville27
Summary: Alvin is on trial. As his family tries to support him, some of them lose trust while others carry the burden of his secret.  How will Alvin be able to live with himself?  How will the jury rule? Alvittany and Simonette!
1. Chapter 1

**For Love. For Us. For Brittany.**

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><p>AN: I plan on working on this story every once in a while, but it will be long so I figured I'll just post this one as I go. I'm a law school student so this should be fun to write an AATC crime drama.

This is Alvittany by the way. (I know, I know, I don't usually write things that aren't Simonette, but he wasn't right for this spot.)

Don't forget to review.

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><p><strong>Simon's POV<strong>

**Chapter 1: Arraignment**

I never thought I would see the day when Alvin didn't want media attention. Of course, that wasn't the only thing unexpected Alvin had done recently. I knew he had a temper. But I never saw him like this.

I hugged my brother and wished him luck. I took Brittany by the arm, "Come on Brittany, he needs to do this by himself."

The crowd grew silent as Alvin walked towards the front of the room and took a seat. I took Brittany and sat her down.

Suddenly, a booming voice came from the front of the room. "Alvin Seville, you are charged with the crimes of first degree murder, possession of a deadly weapon, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Are you ready to enter a plea to these charges?"

"I am." Alvin answered, standing up from his chair. "Not guilty on all charges."

The crowd around us grew angry. After all, this was the trial of the century. Everybody in the world including me knew that he did it. They just didn't understand all of the facts. Our fans had turned on us. People who weeks earlier asked us for autographs were protesting outside that minors couldn't receive the death penalty. Some people even tried to argue that he should be treated like any other chipmunk or animal would instead of a human, and put to sleep. Of course all of those battles were behind us.

Of course this was just the arraignment. In a few weeks, we would have the trial. Finally, Alvin would get to tell his story. We knew that things would never go back to normal, but maybe some people would understand why he did it.

Brittany was of course devastated. She felt responsible for what had happened. Even if Alvin got what he wanted, his life would still never be back to normal.

After more preliminary issues were settled, the judge set a date for the trial. Luckily, Alvin had been granted bail. We knew there was a good chance we wouldn't be with him for much of his life, so this time was especially valuable.

He walked back towards us, through the angry mob. Brittany ran towards him and held him. We left the building, and went home. Home to wait until the trial.

**At the house**

Our family was obviously shaken to the core by what had happened. We had to move into the Miller's house so we could avoid the circus outside our house. Plus, it allowed Brittany and Alvin to be together for as long as possible.

"Well, what did you do?" Dave asked, as Alvin and I walked in the door of the Miller's home.

Alvin looked up at Dave with a tear running down the side of his face, "Not Guilty."

I looked at Alvin, trying to make him feel less ashamed. "I don't understand why that bothers you so much."

"It bothers me because I am guilty. This isn't like saying I didn't drop a vase when we were kids. I did it, and I should have taken responsibility for my actions."

Jeanette turned to Alvin as she walked out of her bedroom. "Alvin, your lawyer explained this to you. What you did was illegal, but there are smaller charges you can get if you plead not guilty."

"She's right." Brittany said, walking into the house. "I'm just glad you didn't do anything stupid like plead guilty. We know you feel horrible for what happened, but people will understand at the trial."

"I guess I just wanted it to be over." Alvin explained. "I just don't want to have to relive that experience again."

I looked at Alvin, "We just need to stick together through the trial. I know how hard it is, Alvin, but we can make it. We have to."

The four of us went into our room where our two younger siblings were already sleeping. Dave didn't sleep that night. He had hardly slept since. His family was being torn apart, and he still hadn't even heard what happened that night. Besides Alvin and his attorney, Brittany and I were the only people who knew what happened. Alvin swore us to secrecy, partly because he felt ashamed, partly because he didn't want to think about that night.

That was one of the reasons all of us were so concerned about Alvin's plea. He spent weeks threatening to plead guilty, just so that he didn't have to do it. Relive that night. He didn't want to hear the story again, even if it meant spending the rest of his life in prison.

Frankly, most of the world didn't know what to expect from the trial. To the world, it was such a clear case of pre-meditated murder, that there was nothing Alvin could possibly argue at trial. That was the burden I had. I knew what happened that night. That's probably why I'm one of the last people that still truly trusts him. The rest of our family supported him, as a family member. They knew there was something we hadn't said about that night, but they didn't understand what it was.

I remember when it first came out that Alvin had been arrested. I knew what happened but had been sworn to secrecy by Alvin by then. Jeanette walked up to me and said, "All these years I never believed you, but I guess I shouldn't have been that trusting of Alvin."

I looked at Jeanette and said, "Jean, for the first time, I really do know I was wrong about Alvin. You can trust him with your life." Of course most people thought it was an odd reaction to Alvin being charged with murder, but as I said, knowledge was my burden.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Bail**

**A/N To answer the question, this book is off the cartoon version and they are older teenagers (approx 16-17).**

**Brittany's POV**

I couldn't stand what I had to see. He was torn apart inside. Even though I knew what he did, that is, I knew what he had actually done, I couldn't tell the world. It was so hard to watch Alvin. Even though what he did was wrong, it seemed that he didn't understand that night like Simon and I did. All he can remember is his hand pulling the trigger and the life draining out of the man. He cannot recall what I do, he cannot recall what I love.

Even though I knew what he truly was, he had changed. Even with what happened, I never though Alvin would be somebody to go those steps, to those lengths. I was conflicted. As much as I have always loved him, I had to admit that I no longer fully knew him.

Maybe that is what was truly bothering Alvin. It wasn't so much that he feels guilty for this particular event, but he feels as if he can't find the person I fell in love with buried deep within him.

Of course, I could handle the world mistrusting and insulting Alvin, I could even handle the fact that our lives would never be the same, but the hardest part of this entire ordeal, was that I couldn't explain to my sisters, why I still loved him.

It was hard coming home from the arraignment. They wanted to be happy, but none of them trusted Alvin, besides Simon of course. Last night, I saw Elle start to shake. I started to get up, but then I saw what made her tremble. She noticed Alvin standing up at night. For her, it was horrifying, but for me, it was my lover, unable to sleep.

"Brittany?" asked Eleanor early in the morning. "Are you awake?"

"What is it Elle?"

"Are sure Alvin is safe to be around? I don't like him staying in our house."

I stood up furious, "Elle, he is my fiancé, do not ever say that to me again."

"But Brittany he…"

"I know what he did. Simon knows what he did. But as we have explained to you, none of the world knows what he did." I ran out of the room crying and went to the one person that could comfort me.

"Alvin?"

"Yeah Britt?"

"I want to spend some time together. We might not be…"

"I know. I'm so sorry that I'm leaving you. It's all my fault."

I started to cry, "I wish you hadn't…"

"Stop it Brittany. Don't talk about that night. And don't ever say what you were going to."

I put my head into his arms, "I don't want you to leave me. You know I'll visit, right?"

"I know. And Simon will too. I just wish Theo could still trust me."

"They just don't understand."

"I know. He's cute in his own way though." Alvin looked at Brittany, "You know today he wouldn't let me butter my own bread. He said he didn't want me in the knife drawer."

I started to laugh, "Yeah, I can see it on the news now, the butter knife butcher."

Alvin began to laugh.

I turned to him, "That's the first time I've seen you smile since that night."

"Brittany?"

"What is it Alvin?"

"I wanted to apologize about…"

"You don't have to."

"But we were supposed to get married."

"And we still will. If I have to have the prison chaplain marry us, we will be together."

"No."

"But Alvin?"

"No. I won't have you live your life bound to a person behind bars. I won't marry you Brittany. I want you to find someone else."

"But you don't know that you won't get out."

"I don't care. I will be gone for years, and that is time that you can be making someone else happy. I don't deserve you. Not anymore."

I hugged him with all my strength, "You deserve me more than ever."

Simon walked in the room.

"The three of us need to talk."

I looked up at Simon, "What is it Simon?"

Simon sat down, "Alvin, you understand what is happening in a few days, right?"

"The trial is starting, why?"

"Alvin, in a few days they are doing opening statements. Your attorney is going to be telling…"

"No. He won't. It isn't his story to tell."

I pulled away and looked at Alvin, "But you have to."

"No. I already talked to him. He didn't want to, but he is waiving his opening statement. That way the story can be told by the three of us. And only the three of us."

Simon rested his forehead on his hands and shook his head, "This could turn the jury against you."

Alvin threw a chair, "The whole damn world is against me. Let them turn on me, I don't care."

As Alvin walked away Dave came in the room, "I need to know what's going on."

As I started to answer, Simon shocked me, "Dave just mind your own business. This has nothing to do with you."

"He's my son."

"Well you sure haven't treated him like one recently. He has enough going on without having his own family treat him this way."

"But Simon…" Dave started to say.

"You don't understand. You will understand soon enough, but for right now, keep the hell out of my way, and stay the hell away from Alvin."

Even I was shocked by Simon and ran after him, "Simon? What is wrong?"

"Brittany, you have to understand something. This entire ordeal is one big puzzle. You hold a piece, I hold a piece and Alvin holds a piece. The only difference is that I know where the pieces go. I'm the only one of us that knows everything that happened, and it is killing me."

"You haven't told Alvin?"

"No. He couldn't…he can't know."

"But he will know at the trial."

"I know."

I was confused, "Don't you think he should know, so he isn't caught off guard?"

"Absolutely not. If he knew… you know what would happen."

"You don't think…"

"Yes. I do. And if so, there would be no turning back."

I started to cry at the thought, "Well then we can't tell him."

"Not right now while he is on bail. For now, he can't know. It will be safer if he knows then."

"So do we have to?"

"For him. Yes."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Opening**

**Simon's POV**

I knew today would be difficult, but I never knew how hard it would be on all three of us. Today we listened to the prosecutor make his opening argument.

We had heard this version of the story before, but the news always told one or two details at a time. This was the first time we really heard all of what the prosecutor had to say together.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. I am about to tell you a story of what happened on January eighth two thousand and eight. You will hear witness testimony from twelve different fans, none of which have any relation to any of the other twelve. They will all tell you the exact same story, the one I am about to tell you. In addition, you will hear evidence from expert witnesses, that supports this story, and most importantly, you will hear a confession from the defendant, admitting to the killing.

On January eighth, Alvin was performing with his band known as Alvin and the Chipmunks at a small charity concert. After the concert, he was followed by a number of fans who wanted nothing more than his autograph. When they approached him, they found him on the ground behind the building, kissing his partially naked girlfriend as she reached up to take off his shirt. He then heard the fans, and put Brittany on the ground, when he started to stand up and turn around. You will hear testimony that his own brother, shouted to the group, instructing them to run. Finally, as the group turned around to run, they heard six gunshots, and found a man lying dead with two bullet wounds to the back and four to the head. The four shots to the head being fired at close distance.

The testimony and physical evidence supports the allegation, that in order for him to protect his reputation, Alvin Seville took a man's life. Thank you."

The judge turned to the two desks, "Thank you counsel. I understand that defense is waiving their opening statement, is that correct?"

"I have discussed it with my client and we would like to make a short statement."

I was relieved, but I knew in my heart that our story wouldn't be told. Not yet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I wasn't going to make a statement today. As my client put it, my story is my own to tell. I come here to ask only one thing. That you listen to the evidence the state presents, and really focus on what that evidence means. You will see how that exact same evidence, that exact same testimony, supports our version of the events that took place. Thank you."

"Is the state ready to call their first witness?"

"We would like to request a recess, you honor."

"Very well. Court is in recess for one hour."

**In the hall**

I approached Alvin. "I think you made a smart compromise in there today."

"Thanks, Si."

"Alvin, I know this isn't easy for you."

Alvin turned to me and grabbed my hand, "I just want to thank you for being there for me Si. Brittany told me what you said to Dave. You really shouldn't have."

"Alvin, I know you don't understand this now, but in many ways, I've been holding a much bigger burden than you have. I want you to know that I lied to you."

"What do you mean Si?"

"You know how we didn't tell Brittany everything?"

"Yeah?"

"Well I haven't told you everything either. I need you to tell the attorney to just go with me, and allow me to speak. It is important."

"You're making me nervous Simon."

"I'm making myself nervous. There are a lot of things that people don't quite understand about that night. I do. That is my burden."

"We'll all make it through." Alvin said to me.

"Alvin?"

"What is it Si?"

"I know you'll be upset with me when I testify, do you promise that you won't stop talking to me, no matter what?"

"Why would I do that?"

"You'll know soon enough. But the idea of me being alone, is too much to handle."

"I promise Si. No matter what it is, we will be brothers, and nothing can take that away."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: State's Story**

**Judge's POV**

It was the strangest thing I ever saw. Every single witness, every single question, every single piece of evidence went completely unquestioned and unopposed by the defense. It was like they didn't even care about the trial.

I knew that defense counsel had to either be stupid or brilliant. Either they had a trick of their sleeve, or Mr. Seville would be in prison for a long time. The oddest thing was the defense side's witness list. They had only two witnesses subpoenaed. I didn't know what they were planning, but I knew what the prosecution was.

They called up their second witness, who basically went through the same story as the first.

"What is your name?"

"Carl Vincent"

"And did you go to a concert on January 8?"

"Yes."

"What group was playing at the concert?"

"Alvin and the Chipmunks"

"Anybody else?"

"No, the Chipettes were supposed to be at the concert, but they weren't"

"Did you enjoy their music?"

"Yes."

"Why did you leave the concert?"

"I wanted to get an autograph from Alvin."

"Did you get one?"

"No."

"Did you see him?"

"Yes."

"And do you see him in the courtroom?"

"Yes he is sitting in that chair wearing a bright red shirt."

"What did you see him doing?"

"He was with Brittany Miller from the Chipettes and they were having…"

"Objection."

I couldn't help but be relieved that counsel was actually defending his client. "On what grounds?"

"It calls for speculation."

"How so?"

"He was about to make a conclusion about what they were doing, based on his observations, but that is nevertheless, speculation."

"Very well, sustained. Sir, please limit your testimony to your actual observations only."

"Okay." The witness answered. "So I saw him holding Brittany Miller and she didn't have a shirt or pants on, and they were kissing. Then she grabbed his shirt. When we came up, he set her on the ground and turned around."

"And what did he do after he turned around?"

"He started to reach into his pocket."

"Then what happened?"

"I heard a voice scream to run, so I did."

"Did you see who said that?"

"Yes, it was Simon Seville."

"After you ran, what happened?"

"I heard several loud noises, and turned around. When I looked there was a person bleeding on the ground, and Alvin was holding a pistol."

"No further questions."

I sat up in my chair, "Cross examination."

Then I heard something that completely threw me off.

"Your honor, defense is willing to stipulate all of the facts that these first two witnesses have testified to if we can suspense with any further testimony from the fans."

I was absolutely baffled, "Counsel, in my chambers now."

We went back to my chambers. "Are you even trying to give this kid a defense?"

"Of course" he replied.

"You just stipulated to the entire story that the prosecution is presenting. I can't let you endanger your client…"

"He insisted. He is very protective over what we do and do not argue today. Those are not facts we intend to dispute, so we wanted to save the court time."

"This is his idea?"

"Yes."

"Fine then. I will allow you to stipulate the facts."

We went back to the court. "I am going to accept the stipulation of the facts. Does the state have any other witnesses?"

Baffled the state stood up, "We would like to call our ballistics expert to the stand."

"Very well. Balif, go outside and…"

"Your honor?"

"Yes."

"We are also willing to stipulate that my client pulled the trigger on the gun responsible for the six fatal wounds to the victim, if that helps any?"

I tossed my pen in confusion, "Fine. I should have assumed as much."

"Does the state have any other witnesses you would like to call?"

The prosecutor pulled out a paper and began to look at it, "Um, I guess not? The state rests your honor?"

"I don't assume the defense would like to try a motion to dismiss?"

"Sure. Motion to dismiss?"

"Motion denied. You can call your first witness."

"We call…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Brittany's Story**

**Brittany's POV**

I was sitting outside the courtroom on a cold metal bench when I heard them come out. "Miss Brittany Miller?"

I approached the man. "I'm Brittany."

"They're ready for you."

I took a deep breath and began to talk towards the courtroom. Simon walked over to me quickly before I went in, "Just remember, Brittany, tell them exactly what happened and this will all be over soon. Just don't let Alvin stop you no matter what he does."

"I know." I walked into the courtroom.

As I walked through the court, I noticed that everybody was staring at me. Maybe it was because they noticed I was trembling in fear, or maybe it was because they knew I would finally make sense of this entire ordeal. All I knew is that I wanted to get out of that room more than anything in the world.

I reached a small chair behind a desk, and was asked to sit down.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do." I replied. Those were two words I had been dying to say, but this wasn't exactly the setting I had in mind.

The defense attorney walked towards me. "What is your name?"

It actually took me a second to think of an answer, "Uh. Brittany Miller."

"And how old are you?"

Let's see I was born in nineteen… carry the one… "Seventeen."

"Now Ms. Miller, How long have you known the defendant?"

"Around ten years." I had no clue why that I knew right of the bat and my birthdate was algebra.

"Ms. Miller, it's obvious that you're nervous. Now just breathe in and answer this question."

I breathed in and cleared my mind.

"Now Ms. Miller, were you there when Alvin fired the weapon at that man?"

"I don't know."

"How don't you know? Can you explain?"

"I have no memories from the day of the incident to a week later."

"Why don't you have any memories?"

"I was in a coma for that week."

A person shot out of their chair, "Your honor I object to this witness, they have no first-hand knowledge of the events that night."

The judge's chair creaked as he sat up. "Counsel for the Defense, do you have an explanation?"

"Yes your honor, this witness cannot testify to the week after the incident, but has valuable information to explain why the defendant was at that location and why he did what he is accused of. Her testimony is regarding his motive and a possible affirmative defense."

"Very well, continue Ms. Miller."

I couldn't figure it out, what was I supposed to continue? "That's it, I was in a coma."

"So Ms. Miller, tell us the events that led to your coma."

"The entire story?"

"Yes."

I took another deep breath as I prepared to tell my story. "Well it really started a while ago. Alvin and I were dating for several months, and he asked me on a date. I met with him and he put a blindfold over my eyes, and started driving me somewhere. It seemed like we were gone for hours…

_-Flashback-_

"_Alvin, this is ridiculous, where are we going?"_

_I could hear Alvin laughing, "Somewhere."_

"_Oh thanks for being specific. I'm taking the blindfold off now."_

"_Don't you dare or I will leave you in the middle of nowhere."_

"_Seriously where are you taking me?"_

_The car stopped, "We're here, now keep the blindfold on."_

_I walked me into a building and then up a flight of stairs. I could hear noises but I couldn't figure out where we were. Suddenly the blindfold came off. I looked in front of me, and saw the most romantic thing in the world. He had driven me hundreds of miles to the small hotel where me and my sisters first met the Chipmunks. I looked to my left and saw Alvin, holding out a jewelry box on one knee._

"_Brittany, even though you're a handful, and you're sometimes selfish, and you can't cook, and you call me names, I really love you. I really want you to be in my life. Will you marry me?"_

_It was the most romantic proposal I ever heard. "Absolutely Alvie"_

_He hugged me, "That's one of those names I was talking about."_

"_Why did you bring me all the way out here?"_

"_What better place to propose than the place I fell in love with you?"_

_Of course after that day, things went back to normal. We went to school and…"_

_-End of Flashback_

Suddenly I was interrupted. "Objection! Relevance!"

"Sustained. Counsel, please direct the witness to more relevant line of thought."

"Yes your honor. Brittany, tell us about the events that directly led up to the coma."

"Okay. Well it started about three days later, when I was walking out of school. I had cheer practice that day so I was coming home a little later than usual. While I was walking, suddenly, it happened…"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Fear**

**Brittany's POV**

_As I was walking, I felt someone grab my arm. At first I figured it was Alvin or one of my friends, so I turned around, and saw an unfamiliar person. He yanked at my arm and twisted it, pulling me into the bushes._

_I heard him talking to someone else, but they had put something over my head so I couldn't see. "I got the bitch, you ready?"_

_I couldn't see but I could definitely feel what they were doing to me. One of them grabbed my feet and held me up in the air, while the other one started pulling off my clothes._

My trance was suddenly broken.

"Are you saying that they raped you?"

"No. That's just it they didn't. It honestly didn't make sense to me, why they wanted to take my clothes off, but they didn't have a reason."

I continued with my story:

_So like I was saying they started to pull my clothes off me, except for my underwear, and then they each picked one side of me up. I tried to scream but I had been gagged. I felt them put me down on a very cold surface, it felt like metal. _

_Then they started to beat me. At first it felt like they were punching me, then I started feeling horrible pain, like they were stabbing me, but it wasn't piercing my skin. I realized that they had something metal that they were hitting me with._

_I was completely confused. They took of my clothes and didn't rape me, and now they started hitting me for no reason. I squirmed and pushed and tried to get up, but they just kept hitting me. After a while my body started to feel numb. Then I felt a sharp blow to my head and fell unconscious._

"And that's when you went into a coma?"

"No. That was much later. I was just unconscious at this point."

I continued to explain:

_After a while I woke up. They had taken my blindfold off, but one of my eyes was swollen shut, so I could still hardly see. I was in a small room about seven feet by seven feet, with no furniture of any kind. It didn't have any windows or lights, so it was extremely dark, and it didn't have any heat so it was cold. I waited for a while for someone to come in, but nobody did._

_After what seemed like about two days, I still hadn't seen anybody. I waited and waited, but I never got any food or water, it seemed like I was just being left there to die. Suddenly someone came through the door._

"What did the man want?"

I started to cry on the stand. Remembering that day brought back so much pain. No matter how much I tried to regain composure on the stand, I couldn't.

"Your Honor, may we have a short recess?" The lawyer asked on my behalf.

"Absolutely. Court is in fifteen minute recess."

Simon walked over to me and pulled me off the stand. "It's going to be okay Brittany, you're doing wonderful."

I looked up him, "Thank you Simon."

The two of us sat down and he hugged me while I cried. Through this whole mess, Simon was always there for me. Maybe it was because he couldn't talk to Jean about what happened, or maybe it was because he knew Alvin couldn't be there for me, but it was wonderful that I had a friend who cared about me so much.

"Simon?"

"Yes Brittany?"

"What's going to happen after I tell them?"

"I think we both know that."

I started to cry again, "You don't think that they would…"

"I hope so, but I don't think so. Not this time."

I continued crying, "Do you think Alvin will be mad?"

"Yes, but he won't be mad at you. He'll be mad that he didn't have a chance to…"

"Don't even talk about that. I don't even like the idea of Alvin doing that."

He looked up at me, "He would though. We both know that."

"I know."

Then we were called back in. It was time to continue my story.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Pain**

**Brittany's POV**

_Like I was saying, I was there for a while, and someone came through the door. I thought they were going to bring me something to drink or eat, but he looked down at me and screamed, "He still hasn't called you bitch. Looks like you're gonna die here." _

_I couldn't understand what they were talking about, and then he kicked my side and screamed, "Why hasn't he called?" I told him I didn't know, but it didn't seem like he expected me to. He just kept kicking my side out of anger. After a while he pulled out a gun and hit me over the head with it. Then he left the room._

"Was this the only time that he hit you while you were there?"

"Not at all. They basically did that every few hours. After a while, I couldn't really feel anything anymore. I couldn't stand or even walk, and I was bleeding a lot."

"What else happened while you were there?"

_Well they also seemed to like watching me suffer. They knew that I was starving and thirsty, so they would make sure that when they ate, they would open the door so I could watch them._

_They would spend hours eating, and taunting me with every piece of food they put in their mouths. It was complete torture. Not only couldn't I eat, but I had to stare at them while they ate as much as they wanted. They would even make sure to point out to me when they were throwing away leftovers._

_One time they were leaving the house and they locked the door to my room, but they left the water in the sink running so that I could hear the water that I needed so badly being wasted._

The attorney looked towards me, "Did they ever directly threaten to kill you?"

I started to cry, "Well that's an even worse memory for me."

"Take your time." The lawyer said with care. "What happened?"

_Well there was only one time when they actually told me flat out that they were going to leave me to die. I think it was probably the third day I was there. Of course I don't even know if I was there one day, it just seemed so long._

_Anyway, I was sitting in my room by myself when the two men walked in and smashed the door open. _

_One of them looked at me and said, "It looks like your family doesn't want to save you. I guess you're going to be here for a while."_

_The other one looked at me with what seemed like care and asked, "Do you need any water? You must be thirsty?"_

_I was nervous but I shook my head yes. He walked into the other room and came back._

_He started laughing and said, "Well I have something that will make your thirst go away. I'm going to give you exactly what you need."_

_I reached my hand out as he turned around, but what I thought was going to be water was actually a gun. _

_He shot it right above my head and I squirmed to the corner._

_He started to laugh as I rolled up in a ball and said, "I'm not gonna shoot you. I want to see how long a chipmunk can go without water before they die."_

_The other laughed with him and said, "Let's call it a science experiment."_

_With that they closed the door. That was the only time they directly said they were going to leave me there to die._

The attorney looked horrified at my story. "Did you ever hear anything about why they kidnapped you?"

With that question I knew the story I was about to tell. I looked at Simon and received a small shaking of the head indicating I needed to tell them. I knew Alvin would be upset. I knew he would go insane. But I needed to tell them the truth, for Alvin's sake.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Relief**

**Brittany's POV**

I continued my story.

_I didn't know about what they were doing until right before I got out. I had been there for a while and I heard one of the two men on the phone._

"_Just make sure you have the money and you'll get the little bitch." He slammed the phone and went to the other person. "He called! I knew we'd get it."_

_The two of them got excited, "He's going to have it ready tomorrow night."_

_They walked towards me, "Well it looks like your boyfriend doesn't want you dead after-all." He handed me a small glass of water. "Here this way you won't end up dead before we get our cash."_

_I couldn't believe that all of this was over a ransom. I was really scared at how Alvin was going to get however much money they asked for, but I was just excited that I was finally going to get out._

_I drank the water slowly so I could make it last for the next day. It was odd, but as thirsty as I was, it was hard to drink the water._

_Anyway, the next day they had dinner, and they did the same thing they always did._

"_Hey, don't forget to open the door, we don't want our houseguest to miss dinner." The second man started to laugh._

_They opened the door and I saw that this time they had a bunch of alcohol out with dinner._

"_This is a celebration!"_

"_Yup. We're getting our cash today and getting rid of that annoying rodent."_

_The two of them laughed. I used to be bothered by their insults, but now it was just becoming a part of my life like not eating. I sat in the corner and watched them eat, praying that they would let me have some. More importantly, I was praying that Alvin really did have the money to get me out of there, but I knew he didn't._

"So did they leave that night to meet with Alvin?"

"No. That was when everything changed." I gathered my strength so that I could tell them about that night, but I knew how difficult it was going to be.

_The two men didn't act like they were leaving. They never got ready, they never moved, they just sat there occasionally looking at the door. I was nervous about who was going to come. I didn't know if it was Alvin or someone even worse than these two._

_After a while, the two of them had too much to drink and passed out. I knew this might be my only chance to get out, so I started to crawl towards them._

_I couldn't stand and I couldn't move my right leg at all, but I was able to drag myself into the next room. _

_I wanted to call for help, but I didn't know if they would wake up. _

_I looked around and reached on the table. I knew it was going to be hard, but I reached up, and pulled down a gun._

Alvin interrupted the story and started to scream as he realized what I was about to do.

"Stop! Stop! I plead guilty. Stop her. Don't say anything Britt! Please!" Two bailiffs pulled him down and dragged him out of the courtroom as he cried and screamed, "I love you Brittany. Don't do this. Please. I plead guilty stop it." Between tears he let out one final plea before he was out of the courtroom, "Brittany it isn't worth it. I'm not worth it. Just don't do it."

The court became quiet as he was pulled into a conference room.

The judge looked down at me, "We have to wait for him to calm down before you can continue your testimony. In the meantime, I think you should speak to an attorney before you continue."

"No. I know what I'm doing." I replied.

Several minutes later, Alvin returned, unable to speak and laid his head on the table crying.

"Continue." The judge said.

_So I reached up and pulled the gun down. I turned the safety off, and held it up in the air. I aimed it at the first man's head, and pulled the trigger. The second one woke up so I turned to him, and I shot him twice in the chest._

_Then I reached for the phone, and I called Alvin. I heard his voice, but I couldn't really talk. I had a piece of mail, so I just said the address through the phone." Then I felt a sharp pain in my neck and fell asleep._

The attorney walked towards me, "Is there anything else you remember?"

"I'm not really sure. At one point it seemed like I woke up, but it could have been a dream."

"What did you see?"

"I saw Alvin's red shirt, and I reached up and grabbed it. Then I felt someone kiss me on the cheek. That was it. That's the only other thing I remember before waking up at the hospital."

"Thank you Brittany."

The judge looked towards the prosecutor. "Do you have any cross examination?"

"Yes."

"So you didn't see anything the night of the other shooting?"

"No."

"Were you there?"

"Like I said, I don't know."

"And do you have any evidence that Alvin knew you were being held hostage when the shooting happened?"

"I know that the kidnappers told me he called them back."

"Thank you, that's all I wanted to clarify."

The judge looked down at my seat, "Brittany you may step down. I'm not sure exactly what will happen, but for the time being, you will be taken into custody until the DA's office can figure out if they are pressing charges."

I started to cry, "I understand."

He looked up to the back of the courtroom, "Marshall, take her into custody."

With that, I was taken off in handcuffs. As I passed Alvin, still crying into the table, I looked at him and said, "I love you Alvin. I always will."

* * *

><p><strong>To answer a question that was posted, this is not the end, in fact it's just the beginning. The next chapter will clear up some confusion, so stick with it! I'm anticipating this story to run around 40-45 chapters long, so we aren't nearly done yet!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Nothing's Changed**

A/N: To clarify, this book still has over 30 chapters to go, so we aren't anywhere near the end yet. I think there is some confusion regarding Brittany's confession that will be cleared up this chapter.

**Alvin's POV**

After Brittany's testimony, the case was adjourned until the next day. As we left, I couldn't help notice a difference.

"Alvin?"

"Yeah Simon?"

"Why is everybody acting…"

"I have no idea."

I looked around and people were screaming and cheering, trying to shake my hand. It was by far the most confusing reaction to my fiancé admitting to a homicide that I had ever thought possible. Of course our questions were answered when we got home.

Dave ran to the door, "Congratulations Alvin."

That was when I really became confused, "Dave, what the hell are you talking about?"

Jeanette came towards us, "The charges being dropped."

I looked at Simon and realized that something strange was going on. "Why do you guys think that the charges were dropped?"

"It's all over the news! Someone else confessed!"

Suddenly it was becoming clearer, "Why don't you all sit down for a second."

I glanced at Simon and he reluctantly agreed to do the explaining, "Nobody else confessed to Alvin's crime."

Dave interrupted, "But…"

"Dave, let me finish." Simon continued, "At the trial Brittany testified. It's a long story that we are not going to discuss, but she confessed to two different homicides."

Suddenly the crowd grew silent and confused. Eleanor was the next to speak, "She's the one that confessed?"

"Yes, but to two different murders. Actually three, she killed two people. Does that make you happy to hear? That we both murdered people?" I screamed, "Now can you all just leave us the hell alone."

I gathered a deep breath and looked at Simon as the small group walked away, "I can't believe I just did that. She was just asking a question."

Simon looked back at me, "We've both asked for them to stop asking about what happened. They shouldn't have got involved."

"Well at least I finally know what it is you were warning me about hearing on the stand."

Simon grew silent.

"Simon? That is what you were hiding from me, isn't it?"

"Yes and no."

I screamed, "What the hell does that mean?"

"Yes that's what I was nervous about you hearing, but you haven't heard it all yet. That wasn't exactly why I asked for forgiveness."

I was becoming worried. What could possibly be worse than my fiancé killing her captors? "Then what?"

Simon grew angry at the thought, "You'll find out at the trial."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Trust**

**Jeanette's POV**

I heard Alvin and Simon having an argument. That was when I knew there was something wrong. If this was before it happened, I would have thought it was a normal day, but they never raised their voices to each other since then.

I saw Simon walking through the house and had to confront him.

"Simon?"

"What is it Jeanette?" He said in a grumbly tone.

I started to tear up, "Why is Britt in jail? Why won't you tell me?"

Simon sighed and walked over, "She is in jail because she shot two people who weren't even awake."

A cold chill went down my spine. Not only didn't that sound like Brittany, but Simon didn't sound like himself. He was becoming very blunt about things he otherwise would have been nice about. "Simon, tell me why she killed those two people. That's what I want to know."

Simon reluctantly came closer, "She was kidnapped. She was being held hostage, and she was trying to escape."

I was shocked, "You told us that she hurt herself and you found her outside? You said that's why she was so hurt and dehydrated?"

Simon snapped, "You don't think I know what I told you!" He calmed down, "I'm sorry Jeanette. I'm just a little jumpy today."

I became worried, "What's wrong with you."

"Nothing."

"Simon," I looked at him, "I can see right through you, what is it?"

"None of your business. You'll find out at the trial. Not please just leave me alone." He started to cry. "For god sakes will you all just leave us alone?"

I put my hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry Simon. I didn't mean to upset you."

He pulled away, "Well you did. Now just tell everybody to leave me and Alvin the hell alone. We don't want to talk about that night, and I sure as hell don't want to talk about Brittany."

I put my arms around Simon and hugged him, "I'm so sorry. I won't bring it up again."

He whimpered, "Thank you. Do you at least understand why Alvin did it now?"

I pulled away, "Not really. Brittany killed her kidnappers, so who did Alvin kill?"

With that Simon ran off crying. A few minutes earlier, we thought this entire ordeal was over, now I was starting to realize that this story when far deeper than any of us knew. I was starting to realize that there was much more to this story.

Worse of all, I was starting to realize that Simon didn't really even understand what happened. Maybe even Alvin didn't know what was going on. All I knew is that if I continued to push Alvin away, I was not only going to lose my sister, but I was also going to lose Simon.

**A/N: Some of you may have figured out in Chapter 8 that there were 3 murders, others may not have. But we all know now, so we have more mystery and more murders! Why did Alvin kill someone? Who did he kill? What's Simon's involvement? Will Jeanette lose Simon? FIND OUT!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Alvin's Story**

A/N: I hope you enjoy chapters 11 and 12. I'm sorry that there are so many cliffhangers, but what would a courtroom drama be without mystery! Please review!

**Alvin's POV**

"Court is back in session. Call your next witness counsel."

My attorney stood up, "I'd like to call Alvin Seville to the stand."

The crowd began to whisper to each other. Most people speculated that I wouldn't testify. As a defendant, I couldn't be forced to testify, but once I agreed, I was bound under oath to tell the entire, true story. It was a risk to testify, but Simon couldn't tell the whole story. I had to testify, so that the world understood what happened. Or at least so that the world had a better understanding of what happened.

The judge looked down at me, "You understand that you have a constitutional right not to testify, correct?"

I shook my head, "Yes sir."

"Very well."

A man approached in uniform and held up his right hand, "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

The words echoed through my head. The idea that any lie, any mistruth could cause even more trouble was something I couldn't get out of my mind. I had spent most of my life making up stories to cover up what I did, and now I was binding myself to 'the truth'.

"Mr. Seville?" The judge pulled me out of my trance. "Do you swear to tell the truth?"

"Yes."

"Very well, now you may sit down."

I took my seat, and the attorney approached.

"Mr. Seville, when did you find out that Brittany had been kidnapped?"

I took in a deep breath, and began to tell my story.

_Brittany had been missing for about a day and a half when I was leaving school. We had all looked all over the place for her. I was afraid that it had something to do with the proposal, that she ran away because she didn't want to marry me. That day after school I went and sat down on a bench outside of our high school. When I was there, I saw a little yellow thing sticking out of a bush. I didn't think much of it at the time, but after a minute or two, I got curious._

"Did you find out what it was?"

_Yes. Yes I did. I walked over and grabbed it, and…_

"It's okay Mr. Seville, take your time."

_Well I grabbed it, and it was one of Brittany's leg warmers. At that point I just figured she pulled it off or it fell off or whatever, but then I saw the other one. I started looking and that's when I got concerned._

"What else did you find?"

_Everything. Her skirt, her shirt, her coat, her shoes and socks, even the engagement ring I gave her. Everything she was wearing was sprawled out over the bushes. I gathered the clothes up and when I picked up the coat, a small note fell out of the pocket._

"What was on the note?"

_A phone number. I had a bad feeling. I guess at some level, I knew what had happened. I knew she had been… taken. I just didn't want to believe it. Part of me wishes she just decided to pull of her clothes and run away from home. But I knew better than that._

"What did you do?"

_I called the number. They answered the phone and told me that they had Brittany. I asked if she was alright, and they told me that I only had as long as she could live without water to do what I was told. They said that I needed to get some money together, and then they would release her._

"How much did they want?"

_One Million Dollars._

"Did you get them the money?"

_Yes._

"How?"

_That's a story, that I'm not proud to tell._


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Paying the Ransom**

**Alvin's POV**

_I knew it wasn't right but there was only one way that I could get that money in time to save her, and that was all that was important to me._

"What was it?"

_Well, I decided that the only way that I would be able to get one million dollars in time would be to have a concert. I knew that we had done some charity concerts in the past that earned over that amount in a single night, so I decided to have a charity concert for Brittany._

"Why does it bother you that you had a concert to raise money?"

_Well, there was something else they told me on the phone. They said that if I told anybody about Brittany, that they would kill her. So I couldn't advertise it as getting money to help Brittany. Also, I couldn't tell my family about it, so I had to lie to everybody about what this concert was for._

"So what did you say that it was for?"

_I said that it was a concert to help homeless and runaway teenagers. I figured that was close to the situation Brittany was in, so later when they found out the truth, they wouldn't be as upset._

"And you did all the planning by yourself?"

_No. I asked my brother, Simon to help with the planning. Of course, he was too smart and he figured out that this wasn't really a concert for a charity._

The attorney looked confused, "How did he find out it wasn't for a real charity?"

_He asked me what the name of the organization was. I don't remember what I said, but I made up the name of an organization. Of course, he searched the name of the group online, and found out that it didn't really exist. Then he asked me, and I had to tell him the truth about what had happened to Brittany._

"So what did he do when he found out what happened?"

_Well to be honest, I expected him to tell everybody else about the concert, but he didn't. He decided to help me with the concert, so he supported me, and told everybody that it was for a charitable organization._

"Alvin started to cry. "You know Alvin, you weren't in an easy situation."

_I know, but that's not all._

"What else Alvin?"

_When we actually had the concert, I was standing around, and I heard a bunch of people talking about children they knew or children of theirs that had run away, and they were talking about how nice it was that this money was going to help people in that situation._

_A few of them even said how a charity can help so many more than just one person. And that's exactly what I used the money for. To help one person._

"Were you able to raise the full amount?"

_Yes. I counted all the money, and as soon as we got what I needed, I called the kidnappers and told them that I had the ransom._

"Brittany testified that she called you. Can you tell us about that call?"

_Yes. That's when it all happened. That's why I was there. That call is why, I killed a man._

**A/N: Yup. Another cliffhanger.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Answering the Call**

**Alvin's POV**

It took every bit of strength in my body to continue testifying. I didn't want to relive that night, but more importantly, I didn't want to tell this story. I wasn't sure how I was going to convince the jury that the story I was going to tell them was the truth, but I had to. If the world didn't believe this story, then I knew what it would mean to my family. It would destroy my family, and everything I was trying to protect that night. It was probably good that Brittany couldn't be there. As much as I wanted her out of that cell they were holding her in, I knew hearing what happened that night would do nothing but upset her. Of course, all four of us had our secrets about that night, so I suppose nobody really knows all that happened. Maybe it's better that way.

I knew what had to be done, so I looked at my brother and gathered strength from him. With another deep breath, and a small tear, I began the story.

_After I counted the money and called the kidnappers, me and Simon went on to actually do the concert. They told me to meet them alone in the back of the building we were doing the concert at. After the concert when I was about to go outside, I got a call from the kidnappers. When I answered the phone, I heard Brittany's voice._

"_Brittany? Is that you?"_

_She couldn't respond, she was trying to whisper or she may have just been too weak to talk loudly, I'm not really sure, but I could tell it was her on the other end._

"_Brittany? Where are you?"_

_Then I heard her blurt an address out. After that, I…_

I stopped testifying. I began to cry as I sat on the stand, I couldn't stand the thought of what happened during that phone call.

The lawyer looked at me. "What is it Alvin, what happened after she said the address?"

I stopped crying and continued the story.

_Like I said, she told me the address and then I heard a loud thump. Right when I heard the thump, I heard a faint scream. Then I heard someone talking._

"Was it Brittany?"

_No. It was a male voice. I heard him say "Damn bitch. I should kill you now." Then the phone cut off._

_After I heard that I knew I had to get down to that address to see if I could get Brittany out of there. I still had about an hour until I was supposed to be outside, so I hoped that he didn't hear her give me the address and would leave her there for a minute alone so I could get her out._

"So what did you do?"

_The only thing I could do. I went to Simon for help._

"Now, you heard testimony that placed you waiting outside the building. So how did Simon help you? Did he go to find Brittany?"

I knew that it would be hard to convince them of this, but I had to try.

_No. He didn't go. I did. I asked him to wait outside for Brittany, so that I could go to try and save her. We changed clothes, and I went after Brittany, it was Simon that was outside the building._

The crowd began to moan and whisper. The judge smashed his gavel. "Quiet please."

The lawyer looked at me stunned at my testimony. "Are you telling the court that it was Simon who killed the victim?"

I shook my head and continued.

_No. It was me that pulled the trigger. I'm saying, that the story, isn't quite what you thought. I gave Simon my shirt, my phone, and my gun, and then we…_

"Did you just say that you gave Simon your gun? How did you kill him if you gave Simon the gun?"

_That's where everything gets a little more, complicated._


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Pulling the Trigger**

**Alvin's POV**

I wasn't quite sure how to feel. Sure I was about to tell the entire world that I pulled the trigger, and that I was responsible for a man's death, but everyone knew that What I was doing was finally explaining. As far as the world was concerned, I was a blood-thirsty murderer. I pulled the trigger for no reason that hatred. Of course I know that's not the truth. I knew why that night happened. I knew the world would never understand that day like I did, but it was time that they began to understand my side of the story. That's why, as hard as it was, I had to make sure the world understood what happened. More importantly, I had to make the world believe that this wasn't just about revenge. It was about love.

I looked up at the jury, and continued my story.

_Well like I said, I gave Simon the gun. At first he didn't want to take it. He hated the idea of even touching a gun, and he handed it back to me. He said that if either of us would need it I would. But I knew that I probably wouldn't get to the house before they left, and I had no intention of confronting anybody, so when he turned his head, I shoved it in his pocket and left._

_After that, I jumped in my car and went towards the address that Brittany gave me. When I got to the street the house was on, I saw two cars. One car was driving down the street, and another was parked in front of the house Brittany told me she was at. I didn't want to confront the person, so I decided to wait there and follow them. I was planning on calling the police but I forgot to take Simon's cell phone when I gave him mine._

"Why did you give Simon your cell phone?"

_In case they called me about the meeting._

"So did the car ever leave?"

_Yes. After about five or ten minutes I saw a man get into the car, shove something in the trunk, and then he stopped to make a phone call. I had a while until we were supposed to meet, so I snuck into the house. When I was there, I saw two dead bodies, I had assumed that he killed the two people, but I guess they were the ones that…_

I started to cry remembering Brittany in that cell. Then I was interrupted.

"It's okay Alvin, take your time. What happened next?"

_Well, after I saw them, I was worried about Simon. This guy didn't seem like he was going to just let him leave. So I grabbed a gun from the table and jumped in my car. He was just starting to leave, so I was able to follow him for a while. _

_After a few blocks, I lost track of him, so I headed as fast as I could to the place we were supposed to meet._

"What happened when you got there?"

_It all happened so fast. I jumped out of the car and saw the man handing Brittany to Simon. She was unconscious and half naked, with bruises all over her body. Then Simon handed him the bag of money. I saw him walk towards his car, and when he got there, he checked the money, and then put it in the trunk._

"Witnesses testified that they heard Simon yell run to them? Can you explain?"

_Yes. That was me. They probably just assumed it was Simon since I was wearing his shirt. After he counted the money, I saw the fans come up from behind the building; I didn't want any of them getting hurt, so I yelled towards them to run and get out._

"Did they run?"

_Yeah. They all took off. Then I saw the man reach for a gun and pull it out. He started to turn towards Simon and Brittany. Simon started to pull his gun out, which was what the fans saw. But Simon was too slow. The man already had the gun drawn and was turning around before Simon had it out. The fans saw Simon holding the gun and all turned back around and kept running._

"Did Simon shoot him?"

_No. He turned towards Simon and I pulled the trigger. I shot him six times from behind. He had no idea I was even there._

"After you shot him, what did you do?"

_Simon called an ambulance. I went over to see who it was._

"Did you recognize him?"

_I didn't, but Simon did. He was the one that told me who I shot._

"Who was it?"

_It was…_

"Objection!" The other attorney screamed.

"On what grounds?" The judge asked.

The attorney stood up, "He just testified that Simon was the one who recognized him. Thus the question calls for hearsay evidence."

"Objection sustained."

I chuckled to myself. One of the big mysteries was how this person got involved with us. What his relation to the Seville family was. I guess it would be up to Simon.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And we have another cliffhanger! I'll probably post two groups of chapters tomorrow, so check back a few times tomorrow to see if anything new is up! Please Review.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Through a Lawyer's Eyes**

**Defense Attorney's POV**

"Your honor, I have no further questions for Alvin."

"Any cross examination?"

"Briefly, your honor."

I couldn't stand to think what the district attorney was going to do to Alvin. Frankly, I didn't even know if Alvin was telling me the truth. It was so unusual to have a client that seemed hell bent on getting himself in prison. If his story was true, and the jury believed it, then he was acting purely in self-defense, and he would be found not guilty, but I couldn't understand why he hadn't told me any of this before trial. Normally I wouldn't have taken the case if my client refused to cooperate, but there was something different about Alvin. It was so hard for him to think about what he did. I always try my best for my clients, but usually, there is a part of me that doesn't want them back on the streets, especially in a murder trial. But this was different. I cared for Alvin, and I didn't want him to spend life in a prison cell. He was better than that. I knew he was telling the truth, I just wanted to find a way to help Alvin more.

The District Attorney approached Alvin, "Alvin, do you remember making a statement to police after the shooting?"

"Yes."

"And do you remember what you said in that statement?"

"Yes."

"Tell the court what you said."

Alvin hesitated, "I said 'I shot him. I'm the one who killed him.'"

"And why didn't you tell police about seeing the gun before you shot him? Why didn't you tell them that you were trying to act in self-defense?"

Alvin sat up in his chair, "Because even if the law said I wasn't responsible or that what I did was somehow justified, I felt responsible and I couldn't stand the idea that I wouldn't be punished for what I did. I still feel that way, but I just don't want to lose Brittany again. That's why I plead not guilty, for Brittany."

I couldn't believe it. Alvin's answer was perfect. The jury started to tear up. I think I understood Alvin more. Part of him wanted to be in prison for pulling the trigger, but he couldn't stand the thought of not marrying Brittany. Everything was starting to make sense.

The prosecutor was dumbfounded by the answer. He thought he was making Alvin look more guilty, but instead, he made the jury sympathetic towards Alvin. "No more questions." He sat down.

Court recessed for the day after that. I went back to my office to try and figure something out.

I called my clerk into my office. She was a young third year law student, and had a great talent for seeing interesting perspectives to take on cases. I had spent weeks staring at these files trying to think of some way to help Alvin, but I was at a loss, maybe a fresh set of eyes could help.

"You called for me?"

"I'm just trying to think of a way to help Alvin Seville." I pulled of my glasses and rubbed the bridge of my nose, "He's barely told me what actually happened and I'm trying to think of how I can be more help."

She sat down at my desk, "Don't you think you're doing enough?"

"Sometimes you need to do more than ask questions. You need to really go out on a limb for your client. Especially when it's one that you believe in like Alvin."

She looked at my note pad for a moment and then continued talking. "Well you don't know everything that happened, but maybe you can help strengthen some of the weak points in the story he has told."

I sat up. It was an interesting, albeit simplistic take on the case. "Like what?"

She pointed to the pad of paper, "Like this."

Then it occurred to me. "Go call the Seville's and see if they are on board. I'll call the judge and try and get permission. If this works, he'll be a free man, and you'll have a job after you pass the bar."

After we made our calls, she came back in my office. "Everything's set on this end."

"Same here." I smiled at her, "I think Alvin has a chance after all."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Bad Nights**

**Jeanette's POV**

The time during the trial was so hard for everyone. None of us knew what would happen to Alvin and Brittany. Elle and Theodore were getting more nervous every day. I think all of us were starting to get a better idea of why it happened, but the two of them couldn't get over the fact that the people they trusted for years took the lives of other people, no matter how justified it may have been.

I wasn't worried for any of them though, I had my own problems. And that problem's name was Simon. He was scaring me more than anybody. I've loved Simon since we first met, but he wasn't the same anymore. In the day, he was short tempered, and at night, I could hear him crying and talking in his sleep. Of course, the night before he testified, it was even worse.

I went over to his bed and shook him awake. "Simon!"

He looked up at me, "Why did you wake me up Jeanette?"

"You were yelling at someone and crying."

He sat up, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"That's not what's bothering me." I grabbed his hand, "What's wrong with you? What's going on?"

"It's nothing, just a nightmare."

"You know that isn't true. It's been like this for weeks. Why don't you come with me to the kitchen and we can talk?"

"Fine. But it's nothing."

The two of us went to the kitchen and sat down. "Now Simon, talk to me."

"I've been having nightmares about Alvin. I keep seeing him firing his gun."

"Well it was a horrible night. It's no wonder you'd be having nightmares about what you saw."

Simon pulled away, "That's just it. I didn't see anything."

"What?"

Simon turned his head away. "I started to pull out the gun when I heard Alvin scream and the man was turning around, but then when I saw that he was going to fire first, I turned around to…"

"To what?"

"I pulled around to protect Brittany. I don't know why but my impulse was to save her. She'd been through so much and…"

"You don't have to justify it. It was admirable."

Simon looked down, "But in the dreams, I see everything. I see Alvin shooting him, but he didn't stop. He kept firing over and over. And I would scream to stop but he wouldn't listen."

"Is that what happened?"

"No. I don't think so. I'm just worried about testifying."

Simon started to stand and I grabbed his arm. "You don't have to worry about testifying, just tell the truth and it will all be over soon enough."

He turned back at me and started to cry, "That's just it. I'm starting to get confused about what is the truth." He walked away, but stopped before he got to the door, "Jean, there's something I want to ask you."

"What is it Simon?"

"When you hear tomorrow's testimony, will you promise that you won't think less of me?"

"I couldn't think less of you."

He started to laugh.

I realized what I said, "That's not what I meant. It came out wrong." I blushed with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to say that I think little of you now. I don't. I…"

"It's okay Jean. I know what you mean." He turned around, "But you don't know what I'm going to say. Nobody does. I just need you to promise me that what I say won't change how you feel about me."

I stood up. Neither of us had ever admitted to the other that we had feelings for each other. "What do you mean?"

"We both know that we're in love. And I don't want that to end because of what I did."

"What did you do?"

Simon walked away, "Everyone will know tomorrow. I made a mistake. A bad choice. I'm sorry Jean."

"Simon…"

"No Jean. You can't fix this. I love you. And I hope that after tomorrow, you will still love me. But I understand… if you can't. I'm not the person you fell in love with. I'm not that little chipmunk that you used to do science experiments with. I've changed, and not for the better."

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><p><strong>AN: I'm going to try and get the next two chapters up tonight or tomorro****w. Keep checking for updates!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Simon's Story**

A/N: These are the chapters you've been waiting for… the answers to many of your questions, and maybe a few new questions.

**Simon's POV**

I walked into the courtroom. That night was hard for me. We all did things we regret. That's why the three of us have become so close since it happened. But it was different for me. Alvin and Brittany had reasons for what they did. They were put in a situation… well they had to do it. But what I did that night may have been the worst of all, because I didn't have a reason for what I did. Only fear. One thing was certain, I wouldn't be going home that night. I turned around and saw her. Jeanette. She hadn't been to the trial before. She always stayed home with Eleanor and Theo, but today she came. I walked over to her and kissed her.

"I love you Jean. You didn't have to come."

She grabbed my hand and smiled at me, "I came for you, because I love you. And no matter what you did, I will still love you."

I walked away slowly letting go of her hand as I walked out of reach, and went towards Alvin.

"Alvin?"

He turned around, "Hi Simon. Are you ready?"

I shook my head, "Yeah. Just remember what I told you. I don't want you to think less of me after I testify. Okay?"

"Simon, we have a few minutes, do you want to tell me…"

"No. Just promise."

"Okay Simon." He smiled, "I promise."

"Thanks Alvin." I turned to walk away, "And Alvin?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

I started to cry, "You'll know soon enough."

As I sat down next to Jeanette, a voice came from the front of the room. "Counsel, are you ready to proceed?"

"We are your honor."

"Very well. Call your next witness."

"We call, Simon Seville to the stand."

I walked to the witness stand.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

"Yes."

"Proceed."

The lawyer walked towards me, "Simon, when did you become involved in Brittany's kidnapping?"

Right off the bat I was going to have to talk about what I did. I looked at Alvin and smiled. He knew I was keeping something from him, and now he would find out.

"I was involved from the beginning. From when Alvin first found Brittany's clothes. That's when he told me what happened and asked me to help with the concert."

The attorney looked up towards me, "Tell us about the concert."

"Well it was pretty much like Alvin told you."

"Well tell us from your perspective everything that happened."

It was time to tell my story.

_Well, we decided to throw a fake charity concert to raise the money for Brittany. We did the concert, and like Alvin said, we called and told them that we had the money._

"And then you got a call from Brittany, right?"

I took a deep breath in.

"Yeah. That's when things get a little different than Alvin said."

"Different?"

"Let me explain."

_Like Alvin testified, we got a call from Brittany, we changed clothes, and then he gave me his cell phone and his gun and he left. After he left, right after he left, I got another call. It was the kidnapper. But he didn't know he called me._

"What do you mean?"

_He called me by accident. I guess he dialed by accident. Anyway, I heard something in the background. I heard the kidnapper. He was screaming and swearing about what Brittany did._

"What did he say?"

_It's hard to remember exactly what he said, but I know that I figured out that Brittany killed someone. I don't know why, I can't remember why, but that's when I left._

"To go outside and wait?"

_No. To help Brittany._

"You mean you went to try and rescue Brittany?"

_No. I mean I went to finish what Brittany started. That was why I was happy… Happy that Alvin gave me his gun. I needed it, for what I was going to try and do._

The crowd was silent. Not silent like you would expect in a courtroom, a cold, confused, scared type of quiet.

"Are you saying that you were going to kill the other kidnapper?"

_I'm saying that for what I was going to do, I knew there was a chance I may need the gun._

The judge bent down to the stand. "I know that this doesn't mean much to your family, but you can speak to an attorney before you continue."

I looked up at him and smiled, "No thank you. This is something I have to do."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: My Guilt**

**Simon's POV**

It was time to tell them why I felt guilty. A sense of relief came over me, as I was finally going to tell them what happened.

_Well, after I got the call, I went to the address that Brittany was at. I don't remember why, but I did something before this, I can't remember._

I started to cry.

"It's okay Simon. What do you remember?"

_Well for some reason I felt responsible for what Brittany did. I didn't want her to… to get arrested. It was my fault, but I'm not sure why I thought it was my fault. That's why I did it._

"Simon, what did you do?"

_I went in the house, and the two of them were already gone. I couldn't let Brittany take the fall for this. She couldn't help it, but I was worried. I just moved a few things._

"Moved what?"

_I made it look like the other kidnapper killed them. I smashed in the door and moved the bodies a little. I just didn't want them to think Brittany killed them. I couldn't let her take the fall for what I did._

"What did you do?"

"I don't know. That's what I can't remember." I looked at the attorney, "I don't know what I did or why I felt this way, but I know that I was responsible for Brittany being kidnapped. I can't explain it."

"That's okay. What happened next? What happened after you finished in the house?"

_I had a bag full of things that I was taking out, anything that connected Brittany to that house. I shoved it in my trunk and drove off. That must have been what Alvin saw. He must have thought that was Brittany, and that I was the kidnapper. Anyway, he took after me. That's why he was where he was when the exchange took place. That's why he was in a position to kill him. If I hadn't tried to cover up for Brittany, none of this would have happened._

"So what happened when you got back to the concert?"

_Well I waited for the kidnapper. He came out of his car and handed Brittany to me. She wasn't in good shape. They had taken off her clothes, and she had bruised all over. She was bleeding from her back and stomach. I could feel a big bump in the back of her head, which explained why she wasn't conscious. I wasn't sure she was going to make it to the hospital. I kicked the bag of money towards him, and he walked back to the car._

"Then what happened?"

_Brittany woke up for a second, and she grabbed at the shirt I was wearing. She thought I was Alvin. I needed to comfort her, so I bent down and kissed her cheek. She smiled for a second, and then fell asleep. Later on we found out that she went into a coma from the head wound._

"So what happened after you kissed Brittany's cheek?"

_I heard Alvin scream at a bunch of fans to run. So I set Brittany down. The kidnapper started to turn around and was pulling at something he had in his waist. I started to pull the gun out but I didn't think there was time. So instead I bent down and tried to cover Brittany, to protect her. It was all I could think of doing. She had been through so much._

I started to cry on the stand. Then I heard a reassuring voice.

"It's okay Simon. Take your time. Now what happened next?"

_Well, I heard a gunshot. When I didn't feel pain, I started to look at Brittany to see if she was hurt, but she wasn't. Then I heard several more shots. After a minute I turned around, and saw Alvin, holding a gun in the air._

"What did you do?"

_I called an ambulance. Then we went over to see who it was._

"And did you recognize him?"

_Of course… he was my number one fan._

"He was a fan?"

_The president of my fan club to be precise._

The crowd was shocked. None of them knew that he was a devoted fan.

"He was the president of the Alvin and the Chipmunks fan club?"

_No. My fan club. The Simon Seville fan club. He was obsessed with me. More importantly he hated Alvin and Brittany. That's probably why all of this happened._

"Did anything happen after you saw the body?"

_Not much. The ambulances came and took Brittany and the kidnapper away._

"Do you have anything else to say about what happened?"

_Well, I was the once that convinced Alvin and Brittany to not tell anybody that she was kidnapped. I didn't want them to connect her to that house. That's why nobody knew about what happened. Of course I didn't tell Alvin or Brittany that I covered up for Brittany. I didn't want them to go to the police. Later on I found out that Brittany never told Alvin she killed those two men. That's when I told her not to ever tell anybody. I was also the reason she didn't confess. I was responsible for everything. It was all my fault._

"Anything else?"

_Only that I wish I made better choices. I wish I didn't try and cover up what Brittany did. I just wanted to protect her name._

"No more questions."

The judge turned his head. "Any cross examination?"

The prosecutor stood up, and then sat down. "No your honor."

"Simon, I think you know what is going to happen."

I looked up, "I know."

The judge took a deep breath and looked to the bailiff. "Marshall, take Simon Seville into custody."

As I walked by Alvin, I knew he was upset. Brittany may not have gone to prison if I wouldn't have covered it up and told her to keep it a secret. But he still turned to me as I passed by him.

"It's okay Simon. I would have done the same thing."

I smiled at him. "Thanks Alvin."

Maybe what I did wasn't as bad as killing someone, but it was different. I was always the one who would do anything to protect the law, and I tried to frame someone else for a murder. It wasn't like me. That's why I was afraid for what Alvin and Jean would think of me. I didn't want them to think I had changed. Even if I had. The hardest part was that despite how hard I tried, I couldn't really remember why I did it. Of course a lot of that day seems to be hard to remember.

As I walked out of the courtroom, I grabbed Jeanette's hand. "Bye Jean."

"Bye Simon. I love you."

"I love you too Jean."

It was a wonderful feeling. Despite what I did, and what I said, Jeanette still loved me. And that's all that mattered at that moment.

Not only had I confessed to disrupting a crime scene, but I confessed to framing someone for murder. And unlike Alvin and Brittany, there was no justification for what I did. I knew I wouldn't be home for a long time. My only hope was that Brittany and Alvin wouldn't share my fate. My only hope was that they wouldn't end up… in prison.

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><p><strong>AN: Before you ask… this is not the end of the story. In fact, we aren't even halfway done. Keep watching for updates! Please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Who's Who?**

**Alvin's POV**

I wasn't sure that it was actually going to help, but my lawyer seemed so excited about it that I went along with it. Of course, with Simon and Brittany gone, I wasn't sure how he was going to pull it off. All I know is that my lawyer said it would help my case. I guess there wasn't any harm in trying.

After Simon got arrested the judge called a recess, which gave us time to get ready for my lawyer's presentation. When the recess was almost over, my lawyer came over and talked to me for a minute.

"Hi Alvin. Are you ready?"

"I guess. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Positive."

"But with Simon gone how are you…"

"Don't worry. It won't be the same, but it will still work. Did you know he was going to…"

"No. If I would have known that Brittany and Simon would get themselves arrested, I would have never pled not guilty to begin with."

He set his hand on my shoulder, "Well I guess that's why they didn't tell us then, isn't it?"

He walked over to the table to begin. "Your honor, we are ready."

"Very good. Call your next witness."

The prosecutor stood up, "Your honor, I object. There were no more witnesses on the witness list given to us by the defense counsel."

He looked down at the district attorney, "I've already discussed this with both of you, if you look at that witness list, you'll notice it says 'All witnesses subpoenaed by the state' under the names. That means he still has over a dozen witnesses he can call. Overruled."

"Thank you your honor. We call… Carl Vincent to the stand."

He walked up to the stand. "Mr. Vincent you are still under oath."

My attorney stood up. "Mr. Vincent, how dark was it that night?"

"Fairly dark."

Suddenly the lights began to dim. "Was it darker than this?"

"Yes."

The lights dimmed further.

"This?"

"Maybe a little darker."

"Okay then we'll leave the lights this dark." He walked towards the desk. "Please identify the person you saw holding the gun."

He looked towards the desk and saw it. Three chipmunks all in red shirts. "Take your time."

After a few minutes he answered. "It's the one in the middle."

"Are you certain?"

"I would bet my life on it."

The attorney walked towards the judge. "Your honor, let the record reflect that he has identified Ms. Eleanor Miller as the killer."

The judge chuckled. "It so reflects."

He went through each and every one of the witnesses in this manner.

As he finished with the last witness, he stood up. "If I am correct, the record now reflects that three witnesses saw Jeanette Miller holding the gun, four saw Theodore Seville holding the gun, and Five saw Eleanor Miller holding the gun. Is that correct?"

"It is."

"And if I am correct, none of them identified Alvin Seville," He walked towards me, "Who was sitting one row behind in a blue shirt."

"That is correct."

"Your honor the defense rests."

The jury walked out of the room. When they were gone, my attorney stood up again. "Your honor, I would like to enter a motion to dismiss at this time."

The judge leaned forward. "On what grounds?"

"On the grounds that my client has not been identified as the one holding the gun."

The district attorney began to stand, "Your honor…"

"That's alright counsel. I'm going to deny your motion to dismiss. I believe a jury question has been made based on the fact that Alvin has stipulated to the fact that he was the one who shot the victim. While this testimony certainly goes to show that he may not have been the one holding Brittany and that he may have saw the gun prior to pulling the trigger, it does not disprove the fact that Alvin still pulled the trigger, so there is still a factual question. The motion is denied."

It was hard to hear. I knew it wouldn't be over that fast, but I had hoped it would. The idea that after all of this, I might end up in prison, and more importantly, Brittany and Simon may end up in prison was unbearable.

"We're going to recess for today. Court will resume tomorrow morning."

As I left the courtroom, I couldn't help but think. Mainly about my family sitting in jail cells all because I pled not guilty. Now my fate hung in the balance of a group of jurors. I had no choice but to wait and see if I would be a free man.

I had been curious about Simon and Brittany since it happened. They kept telling me that they would visit me in prison and that they didn't want to lose contact with me. I always thought that they just didn't have any faith that I could get out. Now I knew, it wasn't me they were concerned about. They both knew they would be going to prison, and they both wanted me to know that they still wanted to see me. I couldn't help but regret telling Brittany that I wouldn't marry her if I went to prison. Now that it was the other way around. I wanted nothing more than to marry her. But now I had more problems. Now, even my best man is behind bars. It looked like I would never have the wedding I dreamed of. It looked like I would never be, with Brittany.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Alone**

**Jeanette's POV**

I have to admit, I hadn't really felt bad for Alvin through most of this trial. I was always one to believe that there was no excuse for breaking the law. Part of me always wanted Alvin to go to prison for what he did. But it was so hard to see him so alone after we got back. I know how he felt, because the day he lost his brother, I lost my true love.

"Alvin?" I asked him. "Are you okay?"

He looked towards me from his seat at the kitchen table. "I'm fine Jeanette."

I sat down. "Are you upset with Simon?"

"Of course not. Are you?"

"No. I think he was expecting us to be."

Alvin smiled, "He doesn't like people thinking of him as a criminal. Especially not us."

"I know." I started to cry. "I miss him so much Alvin."

Then he did something unexpected. He held my hand. "I'm sorry Jean. If I would have known what he did, I wouldn't have pled not guilty. This is my fault."

I shook my head. "No it isn't. He made the choices he did that night. I'm just glad he didn't lie on the stand."

Suddenly Alvin became pale.

"Alvin? You didn't lie, did you?" I asked with hesitation at what the answer might be.

He broke out of his trance. "No. Of course not. I need to go to bed."

He started to walk away. "Alvin? What's going on?"

"It's nothing. Just get some sleep."

"You know that we're all behind you right?"

He turned around and walked back towards me, "Simon is behind me, Brittany is behind me, lately it even seems you may be behind me, but I will never regain Eleanor and Theo's trust. Or Dave's for that matter."

"Well I know that I support you."

"Do you? Do you support me as a friend? Or do you support me has your sister's fiancé? Or do you support me as your boyfriend's brother?"

"What's the difference?"

He grabbed my hand, "You're not supporting me because you support the choices I made. You're supporting me because it means a lot to Simon and Brittany. That's fine. I wouldn't expect you to understand what I did that night. But don't pretend you support me like Simon and Brittany do."

"Alvin that's not fair."

"Were you there for me during my testimony? Or Brittany's? Were you there when she told everybody how she was beaten? Or when I told everybody how I loved her, and just wanted to protect her? No. You were there when Simon needed support. You support him, not me."

He walked away. I said the only thing I could. "You're right."

He turned back around again.

"I am only supporting you because of Simon. I don't like what you did, but I am starting to understand."

He smiled. "What do you understand?"

"I understand that you were acting in self-defense."

Then he sat down. "What if I wasn't?"

"What?"

"What if the prosecutor's story was the truth? That I was standing by the concert hall and I shot him six times without even knowing if he had a gun."

A cold chill came over me. "Was that what happened?"

"No."

"Well I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"Well to be honest. You're impulsive. If it was Simon, I'd like to think that he thought everything out and it was the only option. But I just don't know about you. I think you would think that you had no option, but I know you may have been acting impulsively. I'm just glad that isn't what happened."

He smiled. "That's the answer I wanted to hear."

I was confused. He didn't seem to mind that I didn't truly support him. "I'm confused."

He laughed. "Forget about it. I just like the fact that you trust my brother so much. He's a good person to put trust in."

I shook my head.

"Jeanette?" He asked.

"What is it Alvin?"

"How do Eleanor and Theo feel about me?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah. I mean I'm glad they decided to come to the trial today and help. It was nice. But even then they seemed confused and a little scared. I just want to know, if they will ever trust me again."

"I don't think so. Not completely. Not for a while at least. They don't like the idea that you killed someone. Even if it was justified. And…" I stopped myself.

"What? And what?"

"And they think you're hiding something."

He started to cry. "I just want my family back."

"I know Alvin. I do to. I wish none of this would have happened. But it did. We'll pull through."

He walked away. "No we won't. They may trust me again someday. But this family will never be whole again. That's something I can promise you. The day they do trust me, will be the day this family is shattered forever."

"I don't understand."

"You're not supposed to. But someday, you might. And I hope that day never comes."

"Alvin?"

"Goodnight Jeanette."

He left. I couldn't piece everything he said together. But if there was one thing I figured out from this conversation, it was that Alvin was hiding something. Something bad. And I wasn't sure that I wanted to know what it was.

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><p><strong>AN: MORE QUESTIONS! Watch for updates and please review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Closing the Trial**

**Judge's POV**

As I finished reading the jury instructions, I looked up at the two attorneys. "Are you ready to proceed with closing arguments?"

The district attorney stood up, "Yes your honor."

I never had a case quite like this one. Usually when I'm dealing with someone that's been so secretive and suspicious, I tend not to trust what they say. But Alvin was different. I knew he was telling the truth. I knew he was acting in self-defense, but it wasn't for me to decide. That's why we have a jury system. And frankly, part of me was afraid that the jury wouldn't agree.

"Proceed, counsel."

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Today you heard an elaborate story of what happened. But I'm going to bring you back to the testimony, and tell you what actually happened.

Alvin Seville may very well have been waiting for a ransom exchange. But that is what he was doing. He was the one standing by the concert hall. When he turned around, Alvin didn't want him to get away, and either out of hatred or fear, he pulled out his gun, as the witnesses testified to, and pulled the trigger.

This case must be proven to you beyond a reasonable doubt. That doesn't mean beyond a possible doubt. Just because they present an elaborate, and possible story, does not mean you should find Alvin Seville not guilty. You must look at the evidence that supports our explanation of the story, and you will see it is from fair, unbiased witnesses, who saw him pull out the gun.

Moreover, you have the evidence that was stipulated to from the ballistics expert. According to the trajectory evidence…"

"Objection."

I sat up in my chair. "Counselors approach the bench please." The two walked towards my bench and I began to whisper. "What grounds are the objection on?"

"Facts not in evidence."

The prosecutor turned, "What are you talking about, these were stipulated facts."

I turned back towards the defense attorney, "Counsel?"

"If you recall, we stipulated that Alvin had a gun, that he pointed the gun at the victim, and that he shot it six times. We never stipulated to the trajectory evidence."

I walked down to the court reporter. "I need you to tell me what was said when the state called their ballistics expert to the stand.

She looked through her notes, "Counsel for the state, 'We would like to call our ballistics expert to the stand' Judge, 'Very well. Bailiff go outside and…' Counsel for the defense, 'Your honor?' Judge, 'Yes', Counsel for the defense, 'We are also willing to stipulate that my client pulled the trigger on the gun responsible for the six fatal wounds to the victim, if that helps any?'" The reporter looked up, "Would you like me to read further?"

I smiled at her, "No thank you. I think we have our answer." I looked back at the attorneys, "Objection sustained."

The two attorneys walked back towards their desks. The prosecutor was dumfounded. That evidence was the crux of his case. Without that, he wouldn't have anything to show that he was not acting in self-defense.

After a few minutes of fumbling around with papers he screamed, "damn it" and stood up from his desk. "Your honor?"

"Yes?"

"At this time, the state would like to…" he looked down at his papers one more time before continuing.

"Counsel?"

He continued, obviously distraught by what he was about to say. "The state would like to… dismiss the charges against Alvin Seville."

The defense table lit of with joy at the news. Alvin was going to be a free man. "Very well. Alvin Seville, you are free to go. Charges are dismissed with prejudice. That means the state cannot re-file charges against you for this case. This case is dismissed. Jurors thank you for your time."

Everybody stood up. As wonderful as this was for Alvin, there was a bittersweet side to it. Through all that had happened, his brother and his fiancé were in jail because of what happened. I wanted to do something for them, but there wasn't anything I could do. It wasn't my case. I felt bad for Alvin. He was a good kid, and I was glad that the case was dismissed.

As I left for my chambers, I saw the saddest sight I had ever seen. Alvin sat alone at the table, crying. He had no family there to support him. Simon had a preliminary hearing that day, so that must have been where Simon's girlfriend was at. And I wasn't sure why the rest of his family wasn't there, but they hadn't been there for most of the trial, so it wasn't exactly a surprise that they didn't show up for closing arguments. But the fact of the matter is that he was alone.

My only hope as I walked away, was that his life would get put back together. I wasn't sure why, but I felt an attachment to Alvin. I didn't want his life to be ruined over these charges. Maybe it was because I have a daughter myself, and I know how far I would go to protect her, if she had been kidnapped. But there was nothing I could do for him. Almost nothing.

I turned and walked towards Alvin. "Alvin?"

He looked up at me, "Yes your honor?"

"No need to be formal. I just wanted to tell you that I hope everything gets back to normal for you. I really do hope everything goes well for Simon and Brittany."

"Thank you… but I don't think anything is getting back to normal. My family doesn't even trust me anymore. My own brother is scared of me."

I looked down at the frail chipmunk, "I think it will. I think everything will get back to normal. They're probably just confused about what happened. Just sit them down and explain the truth to them."

Suddenly he became a little nervous and pale. "You're right. If they understood the truth, they wouldn't be afraid of me. But I couldn't live with what that would mean." He walked out of the courtroom.

Suddenly I had a feeling that my impressions of Alvin were wrong. I think he was lying on the stand. Something wasn't right about this case. I had a feeling, that this wasn't the last I would hear about the Alvin Seville Murder Trial. This wasn't the end of the case like I had thought, this was just the beginning.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Freedom**

**Alvin's POV**

The cab pulled up to the miller home. It was ironic. I wasn't expecting to come home that day. That's why I took a cab to the courthouse. But nonetheless, I was home. As I walked out of the cab, the driver stopped me.

"Congratulations Alvin." He said. "On the trial. There are a lot of people that are glad you didn't end up in prison."

"Thanks. But I think a lot more are upset about it." I started to walk away but was stopped again.

"Not really. Most of the people who were protesting before stopped when they realized what happened. You're a hero. You saved her."

I let a small smile grow on my face. "Thanks. But I'm no hero." I walked away.

As I grabbed the handle to the door, I couldn't help but think. It was an odd sensation. I was thrilled to be home, but then again, I wasn't. Everyone who supported me, who understood, they weren't there. I wished Jeanette had at least been home. That way there would be one person who trusted me inside. One person I could talk to. I opened the door and saw something I couldn't believe.

He ran up and hugged me. "Congratulations Alvin. I'm glad you're home!"

I looked at him, "You have no idea how much that means to me Theodore." I hugged him back. "I just wish Simon was here too."

"Why? You want to hug me too?"

I turned around and saw him. Simon. Standing in the doorway next to Jeanette. I ran over and hugged him. "You're out on bail?"

"Nope. Probation. The DA offered us a plea deal."

"Us?" Then I looked behind him. I let go of Simon, as I saw her walk up the driveway. It was Brittany. I ran outside. "You're out?"

Brittany smiled. "Yup. We all are. We're together again."

The group all walked into the house. Theo and Eleanor made a big dinner, and we all spent the day getting to know each other again. It wouldn't seem like much to most people, but it meant so much to have my family together.

The entire day was like a fairy tale to me. I kept waiting to wake up. My whole family was together, Eleanor and Theo trusted me again. It was all too good to be true.

Later that night, everybody had gone to sleep, except for the three of us. Brittany, Simon and I all sat up and talked.

Brittan laughed, "So Alvin, it's too bad the engagement is off, isn't it."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember, you said you wouldn't marry me because you didn't want me to be married to an inmate."

I snickered, "Well do I need to propose again, or can we just go back to being engaged?"

She hugged me, "You know I'll marry you."

"I know Britt."

Brittany turned to Simon, "So when are you going to get off your butt and ask Jean?"

Simon became worried, "Sheesh, we haven't even been on a date."

Brittany laughed, "Oh please, you two have been dating since you met in that hotel. You can call them study sessions, but I know those were dates."

Simon changed the subject, "Alvin, you must be glad it's all over."

That's when it occurred to me. I remembered the truth of everything. I remembered what really mattered. For the time being, my family was together. But I could only live in fantasy for a while. I knew the truth. I knew what would happen.

I stood up and walked out of the room.

"Alvin?" Simon asked. "What's wrong?"

I turned around. "It's nothing Simon." I started to walk away, but stopped again. "It's just. I'm not so sure this is behind us. I'm not positive this is the end."

"They can't have another trial. It's over. Just accept the fact that everything is back to normal."

I smilied. "I hope it is. But I'm smarter than that. This isn't the end."

I walked away. I knew that they didn't understand, and that's okay. That's how I wanted it. In the coming weeks and months they would know how right I was. I used to think life couldn't get worse from the way it was after the shooting. Oh boy did I have another thing coming.

**A/N: I'll try to get the next two chapters posted tonight or tomorrow. Please Review.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: A Turn of Events**

A/N: I just wanted to address the question that I was asked about why I'm posting two chapters at a time. There are a couple of reasons. First off, many of the smaller chapters wouldn't make sense if they were combined with another chapter. Also, I change perspectives a lot, so I want to start a new chapter when I change viewpoints. The areas that could have been combined (like the testimony) just worked better being broken up, since I could post them in sections, and I didn't want to have some really long chapters and other really short chapters. So I hope that clears that issue up for anybody that was curious. Keep reviewing and feel free to ask questions either in reviews or PMs!

**Brittany's POV**

I woke up early the next morning. It wasn't like me to get up early, but I guess I was used to getting up early from my few days in jail. I woke up and saw Alvin sitting on the edge of the bed him and Simon were sharing.

"Did you just get up?" I asked.

"Yeah. No offense, but I'll be glad when I get to go back home."

"Why?"

He started to laugh, "Because I don't think I can stand sharing a bed with Simon anymore. He hogs the sheets."

"Do not." A mumbled voice said from the other side of the bed.

Alvin turned around. "You do to."

I smiled at the two, "Well I think you'll be able to go home in the next day or so."

"Thank God." Simon remarked. "Alvin rolls around too much."

"Do not." Alvin turned around and hit Simon with a pillow.

I started to laugh. "Now boys stop your bickering."

Alvin stood up, "Let's go get some breakfast."

The three of us walked out of the room.

Alvin walked into the kitchen, "Hey Theo what's for break…" Alvin stopped. Theodore was shaking and crying. "Theo what's wrong?"

Theodore ran outside. Alvin looked at me confused.

Then Eleanor walked into the room. Alvin turned around to find out what was wrong with Theodore. "Hey Eleanor, what's wrong with…" She ran outside.

Alvin looked at me again. "What the hell's going on here?"

Then we got the answer.

Jeanette called from the other room. "Alvin? Simon? Brittany? I think you should come in here."

We walked in and I immediately walked towards Jeanette. "Jean, what's going on?"

Then I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw Alvin pointing to the television screen.

I was shocked, "Oh my God." I couldn't believe what was on the television.

Simon tapped Jeanette on the shoulder. "Jean, turn it up."

"For those of you just tuning in, that District Attorney just made a statement on the Alvin Seville murder case. According to his statement, the charges against Alvin Seville were dropped on a technicality. Apparently during the trial, testimony regarding the trajectory of the bullet wasn't properly brought into evidence by the prosecutor assigned to the case, and as a result, the DA was forced to drop the charges against Alvin Seville.

We have in the studio Paul Jones, a Professor of Criminal Law and a former district attorney who is going to explain the evidence that wasn't admitted in the trial and answer some of our questions."

"Well according to the Seville family, the victim pulled out a gun and then turned around, and as he turned around, Alvin shot him in the back. However, there are a couple of problems with this testimony. First of all, had he been turning when he was shot, the bullets would have entered at a diagonal trajectory, but that's not the case here. The coroner's report shows that the wounds were at a very straight angle, and obviously were inflicted while the victim was standing still. Also, based on the way he fell down, we can see that he was shot while facing away from the building, not towards it. The only explanation is that the testimony brought by Alvin Seville was false.

"Thank you for explaining that. Now you've gone through the testimony, and two other witnesses testified. Did their stories corroborate Alvin's?"

"Well Brittany Miller didn't testify to anything about the actual shooting. Simon did agree with Alvin's story, but he also said several times that he was confused and had trouble remembering many aspects of what happened. Also, we're dealing with Alvin's brother and fiancé, so it's entirely possible that everything the group said was fabricated."

"Absolutely. You've worked with the DA's office on a number of cases. What do you think they'll do now?"

"Well they can't have another trial, as that would violate the double jeopardy clause of the constitution. However, they very well may charge both Alvin Seville and Simon Seville with perjury, if they feel they have enough evidence to show that they intentionally falsified testimony while under oath. They could also charge Simon Seville as an accessory after the fact, but it will be a little harder to prove that Simon genuinely intended to lie since he was clearly having problems remembering major facts while testifying."

"Well thank you Mr. Jones. It's been a pleasure having…" Alvin turned off the television.

"Well I guess this explains what was going on with Theodore and Eleanor." Simon commented.

Alvin started to cry and I walked over towards him. "It's gonna be okay Alvin."

"No it isn't. Now I've dragged Simon in this again."

Simon walked towards Alvin, "It's fine Alvin. We didn't lie. If we have to, we'll take lie detector tests."

"I can't!" Alvin yelled.

"But Alvin…" Alvin cut Simon off.

"You don't understand."

Alvin ran into the bedroom and locked the door.

Jeanette and Simon both looked at me.

I didn't know what to say. "Simon?"

"Yeah Brittany?"

"Alvin didn't lie, right?"

"I don't see how he could have lied about this. Unless…"

I was nervous but had to ask, "Unless what?"

"Well I know they're wrong about the trajectory evidence. I was there. But I never did see if he had a gun. Maybe Alvin didn't see him pull out a gun. Maybe we weren't even in danger."

"But that would make Alvin…" He cut me off.

"I know. It would make Alvin… a murderer."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: A New Life**

**Simon's POV**

The next few days after the DA's statement were tough for all of us.

Alvin walked out of the bedroom. "Si?"

"Yeah Alvin?"

"How big is it today?"

I walked to the window and peeked outside, "Oh not too bad today. Definitely not as bad as yesterday. Let's see three, maybe four hundred."

"I guess some of the protesters got bored."

"Yeah. Maybe they've got a lynching scheduled for someone else."

Alvin started to laugh. "I guess."

Then I became more serious with Alvin. "Alvin? We need to do something."

"Well I'm the murderer. I guess I'll scare 'em off."

"Seriously Alvin. We can't live like this. I think the two of us need to move. Let everybody else live in peace."

"The three of us." I turned around and saw Brittany. "You two aren't leaving without me."

Alvin smiled. "Yeah Si. You wouldn't leave my fiancé here, would you?"

"Ahem." The three of us turned around. "I know you three aren't planning on leaving me, right?"

I smiled. "You too?"

"You're not leaving without me Simon"

Brittany smiled at the two of us, "Well I guess Jean is coming with us then."

I looked at Alvin, "How do you think Dave is going to take it?"

"Like I give a damn."

"Alvin…" Brittany was cut off.

"I love Dave, but he has done nothing to support me in this. It's not like I blame him, but I can't worry about his feelings. He's made it clear that he doesn't trust me."

"He's right." I added. "Dave doesn't understand."

Jeanette walked up to the three of us. "Well where will we go anyway?"

"Anywhere," Alvin answered. "A hotel, an apartment, just out of this house."

"And in state." I added. The group looked at me. "Well my probation officer won't be too happy if I move to Kentucky."

The group chuckled. "Okay then I guess we're staying in the city, but we're getting out of this house."

"When?" Brittany asked.

"As soon as possible." I answered. "I'm not going to see these protesters tear this family apart any more than they already have."

Alvin interrupted. "I tore this family apart… not them. But you're right, we can't wait here anymore."

After some discussion and a realization that we had very little money, I decided to speak to Dave.

"Dave?"

He turned around, "What is it?"

"We're leaving…"

"What?" Dave was obviously concerned about us. "You can't leave, you're just kids."

I chuckled, "Dave, one of us is on probation for a manslaughter charge, one of us is on probation for tampering with a crime scene, and one of us just beat a murder charge and is engaged to one of the two on probation. Plus two of us could go to prison for perjury. I think we're grown up enough."

"You don't have any money. Where are you going to go?"

"That's why I'm here. It's up to you, but you can help us, and we can stay in an apartment, or we'll find something we can afford, which isn't much."

Dave started to cry, "Fine. I'll give you money. But just tell me why you're leaving."

"We have to." I walked to a window and pointed to the mob outside. "We can't live like this. But more importantly, we can't make Theo and Elle live like this anymore, or you, or Ms. Miller."

Dave became silent but shook his head in understanding.

I walked back towards the group. "Alvin?"

"Yeah?"

"I just talked to Dave."

"About what?"

"He's going to give us some money…"

"Forget it." Alvin interrupted. "I'm not going to have him…"

Brittany stopped him. "Alvin, just stop it. We don't have a choice. It's best for all of us."

Alvin started to cry. "Just tell me one thing Brittany. How did our lives end up like this?"

I immediately sat down. "It's my fault."

"What?" Brittany exclaimed in confusion.

"Like I said on the stand. I don't understand why, I don't remember how, but I know I caused you to get kidnapped. It's just so hard for me to remember."

Jeanette hugged me, "It's okay Simon. You'll remember eventually."

It was hard to keep going, knowing that I didn't know exactly what happened. The only thing that made it bearable was the fact that I had Jeanette to help me. "Thank you Jean."

"Si? Are you okay?" I looked up at Alvin.

"Of course, why do you ask?"

"You were grabbing your chest."

I hadn't noticed, but now that Alvin mentioned it, I was feeling uncomfortable. Not really pain, but discomfort. "It's nothing."

"Okay. But let me know if it gets worse, okay?"

"Sure Alvin. Let's just focus on finding an apartment that takes murderers and liars."

Everybody started to laugh.

Alvin turned started to walk towards the computer to start our research, "I think this might be harder than we thought…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Keep watching for updates. Please Review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Living with Hatred**

A/N: I just want to thank everybody who has read this far, it means a lot to me that people are enjoying this story. Please feel free to PM me about anything and feel free to ask questions. Don't forget to review!

**Jeanette's POV**

I never thought I'd actually get used to life during the first few days, but over time, all of us became accustomed to hatred. When we first moved, we thought we'd be rid of the mobs, but that was a fantasy. They found out where we were living the day after we moved. We tried to get out of our lease and move again, but we couldn't. It's not like it would have mattered, they would find us no matter where we hid.

Everything was difficult. The police had to stay outside our home to keep the mobs from attacking us. One night they left us alone, and the crowd started smashing our windows in. Ever since that night, the police haven't stopped guarding the mob, and we haven't been able to leave.

The worst part of it all is that even though the police are outside trying to protect us, they aren't on our side either. As far as they're concerned, they're protecting a group of people that got away with murder.

I became the go-between in the group. The police would deal with me since I wasn't involved in the incident, so whenever they needed to tell one of us something or vice-versa, I was the messenger. Of course, that was nothing compared to what Simon and Alvin were going through. They were two of the most hated people in the world. And they were constantly afraid that something would happen to one of us, because of what they did.

But like I said, we all got used to this way of life. Actually, in some ways I think I was actually enjoying it. Not the mob outside, but the fact that the four of us were really getting close. Part of me never understood why Simon and Brittany had become so close because of something so horrible, but being stuck in an apartment together made me understand. Every one of us was depressed, but being together made things easier. The three of them shared something together. It wasn't a happy time for them, but sharing that experience made the three of them closer to each other. Of course, I still didn't really understand what happened that night. I'm not sure that I ever would.

Every day in that apartment was the same. I usually woke up last, which was unusual. I was always the first one up when we were growing up, but with everything that was happening, the three of them had a hard time sleeping.

I walked in to the kitchen to see Simon turn and laugh at me. "You finally decided to get up."

I yawned, "What time is it?"

Alvin leaned back in his chair to stare at the clock on the oven. "Nine."

Simon smiled at me, "What do you want for breakfast? An omelet? Waffles? Pancakes?"

I rolled my eyes at Simon's sarcasm. "Funny." We couldn't leave the apartment, which meant we couldn't buy groceries, so we couldn't cook. We also couldn't go out to eat. Under normal circumstances, the police officers would probably be willing to get us some groceries or escort us somewhere, but these weren't normal circumstances. That left us with two options for every single meal, the only two restaurants that delivered in our area. Well actually there were more than two that delivered in the area, but only two seemed to be willing to deliver to _our_ apartment.

I walked over to the fridge. "Is there any Chinese food left?"

"Nope." Brittany chuckled. "You got to get up early for Chinese."

"Great." I commented. "Well I guess it's pizza then." I shoved my food in the microwave and sat down. "You know eventually we're going to have to leave this apartment."

Simon leaned back in his chair. "But I'm getting used to buying things online."

"I'm serious Simon. We can't live like this forever."

Alvin stood up and walked towards the window. "Jeanette. Look outside. There are hundreds of people outside that all want us dead. I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to risk my life for breakfast."

"She's right." Brittany answered. "As much as I like the three of you, I can't spend my entire life bottled up in this place."

"Well the two of you don't have to." Simon walked over to the window next to Alvin. "You two don't have to be with us. The only reason they hate you, is because you associate yourselves with us. Why don't you both just go back to live with Ms. Miller?"

I went towards Simon and put my arms around him. "Because I'd rather be hated than be away from you Simon."

"Well then what do we do?" Alvin asked. "The two of you won't be happy here, and you won't be happy away from here."

Brittany walked over towards Alvin. "We'll be fine, but we need to get out of here, just for a day. Maybe the police will take us somewhere, if it's really important."

Alvin snickered, "Like what, my funeral when I get stabbed or beaten after walking outside?"

"How about a wedding?" I asked.

Simon smiled, "I think I know of two people who happen to be in the market for a wedding."

Alvin looked out the window again. "If do leave this house, there's a good chance they'll try to kill us. They'll definitely ruin our wedding, and we probably won't even be able to find a minister that will risk having his chapel vandalized when he tries to marry us." He turned around and smiled. "I'm game."

"Well then it's settled." Brittany walked up to Alvin and put her arm around his waist. "The two of us are getting married."

I looked at Simon, "I wonder who they'll choose as their best man and maid of honor?"

Simon smiled, "I know, they have so many choices."

"You two should be comedians." Alvin said as he sat back down. "I wish Theo could be there."

"And Elle." Brittany's eyes started to fill with tears. "But that's not going to happen."

"So is it set?" I asked. "Should I ask the police?"

Alvin grabbed Brittany's hand. "Yeah. Tell them we're getting married."

I walked towards the front door, and slowly opened it. I quickly slammed it shut as I saw a bottle flying towards the entrance. "Just give me a second." A few moments later one of the officers opened the door and walked inside.

"What is it?"

I looked up at him nervously. "Alvin and Brittany want to… um… they want to get married."

He sighed, "You know this isn't a great time for that."

"I know… but we can't just…"

Simon walked in the room. "Listen. I don't care what you think about me or Alvin. They're getting married. You can either watch us get beaten to death on our way to the chapel, or you can escort us there. That's up to you."

I smiled at him. I loved it when Simon was assertive, particularly since I wasn't. I looked up at the officer and gathered all of my strength to assert myself. "Yeah!"

"Fine. Give us the details when you have them." He slammed the door as he walked outside.

I ran over and hugged Simon. "Thank you Simon."

"You're welcome Jean."

My eyes widened as I looked at him. "Simon?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: Love and War**

**Simon's POV**

I reached out and grabbed Jeanette's hand.

"I love you too Jean. With all my heart, I will always love you."

Jeanette squeezed my hand and then walked back into the other room.

It meant so much to me to hear her say those three words. To be honest, I wasn't sure how she felt about me anymore. That was one of the things that made life hard for me. I knew she was supporting me, but she had no way of knowing if I was telling the truth on the stand. Frankly, I wasn't even sure anymore.

As much as I wanted to believe in him, I had to admit that even I was beginning to doubt Alvin. It was true that I was having problems remembering some things about that day. I knew the trajectory evidence was wrong, because as much as I wanted to, I couldn't forget that moment, but I couldn't help but feel like Alvin was hiding something.

And there was another part to that trajectory evidence that I couldn't help but remember. The first two shots, the ones to the back, were from 10-15 feet away. They made sense, but the other shots, the ones to the head, were from a close distance. At most, a few feet away.

One thing I did remember is that the six shots weren't one after the other; there were a few seconds between the second and third shot. I was turned and didn't see Alvin, but I couldn't help but think that he may have gone too far. Maybe he was defending himself at first, but he wasn't telling the full truth. That much I knew.

I think my doubt in Alvin was one of the reasons I felt so strongly in Jeanette. She had no reason to believe in me, but she did. She wasn't there that night, and knows nothing about what happened, other than what she has heard from us. But that didn't matter to her. She believed in me no matter what.

I walked back into the other room. "Hey Jean? Can we talk alone for a minute?"

"Sure Simon." She came towards me and we walked into the bedroom. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Why don't you sit down for a second?"

She sat down, "What is it Simon?"

"I have to know something. It isn't like I mind it, but I need to know."

"Just tell me already."

"Why do you trust me?"

She smiled at me, "Because I love you."

"That's not an answer. I've been having doubts…"

"What kind of doubts?"

"In Alvin. I can't help but feel…"

"That he's hiding something?"

"Yeah." I looked down ashamed at my answer. "I just can't figure out how you're able to trust me with no reason, when I can't even trust my own brother."

She stood up and sat next to me. "Simon you and your brother are different. I know you, and I know when you are telling the truth. I can tell that you believe in what you are telling me, and that's all I need to believe you." She held my hand, "I love Alvin as a friend and as my future brother in law, but he's not like you. He's capable of… things. Things that you aren't capable of."

"Like murder?"

"I don't think so. I hope not. But I've heard Dave yelling at him enough times to know he's capable of lying."

I smiled. "I know… It's just that we've been through so much together these past months, and I want to trust him."

She grabbed my hand. "We all know he's hiding something. Just don't do what those people outside are doing. Don't jump to conclusions. That's what makes you different. You haven't turned on him, despite your doubts."

"Thank you Jean. I needed to hear that."

"No problem. Is there anything else?"

I smiled. "No."

She started to leave and I ran after her, "Wait Jean…"

"What is it Simon."

"Um… there is one other thing."

"What?"

"Well… I just… um… wanted to apologize about…"

"About what?"

"About us not getting to go on a real date."

She smiled at me, "I don't need to go to dinner to know how I feel about you."

"Well it just makes it kind of hard…"

"What do you mean Simon?"

I smiled at her, "It makes it hard to ask you to marry me…"

She ran over and hugged me, "But it doesn't make it any harder to answer."

"Jean?"

"What?"

I cleared my throat, "That's a yes, right?"

She chuckled, "Yes Simon. I will marry you."

The two of us walked back into the other room arm in arm. "Alvin?"

"What Simon?"

"It's going to be a double wedding."

It was the happiest time of my life…, but it didn't last long.

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><p><strong>AN: That was almost a happy chapter… (But like Simon said, that won't last long!) What will happen next? Keep reading to find out! And please review!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Pure Joy**

A/N: Okay guys, this is where the story really picks up. I hope you enjoy these chapters. I hope you enjoy the plot twists and cliffhangers to come as much as I love writing them. Please review.

**Alvin's POV**

I didn't think it was possible, but it was actually happening. Sure it wasn't what I imagined, and of course, not everybody that should have been there, was there. But for that moment, all of the pain went away. I couldn't see the hatred outside, all I could see was Brittany, walking up the aisle.

But as happy as I was, I part of me was still so upset. I know this wasn't what Brittany wanted. It wasn't what I wanted either. I couldn't help but notice the empty church. The only guests besides Simon and Jeanette at our big day were police escorts and an angry mob.

As they reached us at the aisle, I grabbed her hand and we turned to the minister.

He cleared his throat. "Who gives this bride away?"

I couldn't help it. I started to laugh. We all did. "Seriously? Who do you think? We're the only ones in the room…"

He looked back down at his book and continued. "Today we are gathered to join not one, but two couples in the eternal bonds of marriage. Love is a powerful…"

"Excuse me?" Brittany interrupted, "Is there a quicker version of this ceremony so I can kiss Alvin?"

I started to chuckle and looked towards the stunned and confused minister, "Just get to the good part."

He flipped a few pages in his book. "Simon do you take…"

Simon interrupted, "Actually we prepared our own vows."

"Very well."

"Jeanette, I can't put into words how much you mean to me, so I decided to read you a poem. It was written in the 18th century by…"

I had to interrupt. "Simon? Is this a long poem?"

He glanced at his notecards, "Alvin… these are my vows."

Jeanette glanced at the note card and then she looked up and smiled at Simon. "Simon. It's fine." She handed her note card to Simon. "I had the same poem chosen, so you can skip it. We both can. It just goes to show that we are meant to be together."

"Well… okay Jean." He flipped through several cards and then continued. "Jeanette, I will always love you. I always have loved you. From the moment we met, I knew nothing would separate us. It took me years to get the strength to tell you how I felt, but we both knew the bond we had since we were children. We were meant to be together. I will always be by your side and I will always cherish you. I will always protect you. I want nothing more, than to spend my life with you."

Jeanette grabbed Simon's hand. "Simon, we've spent a lot of time together these past few weeks. And as hard as these times have been, being with you has made it much easier. You have always been there for me. And now I hope that in these tough times, I can be there for you. We've always been in love, but now I get to start a new chapter to that love. Because when we leave here, we won't just be in love, we will be together. And nothing will ever separate us again."

I stood silent. Those words rang through my mind over and over again. Nothing will ever separate us again. I couldn't help but think of what could separate them and us.

"Alvin?" Brittany shook my shoulder. "What's wrong?"

I snapped out of my gaze. "Sorry. I'm fine."

She looked at me, "Alvin? Your vows?"

"Right." I felt my pocket, not that I thought vows would magically appear.

Brittany smiled at me, "You didn't write them, did you?"

"No."

I looked down at my feet as Brittany started to chuckle. "Neither did I. What was it Jean said? It shows we're meant to be together?"

I smiled at Brittany. "I'll wing it…" I cleared my throat and continued. "Britt, I really love you. It's hard to think of exactly what to say, which is probably why they say to plan this in advance, but we don't need words. We've been through so much together, that I don't think any words or vows can tell you what I would do for you. I can't make any vows to you, because they wouldn't do my love justice."

Brittany squeezed my hand. "That was beautiful."

I smiled. "Your turn."

"Alvin, you mean so much to me. I've been thinking a lot about the way you proposed to me. You spent hours bringing me to that same spot we met. But the funny thing is that isn't when we fell in love. To be honest, I couldn't really stand you at that hotel. We never did fall in love, we sort of slowly wandered into it. It took us a long time to realize our feelings for each other, but now that we have, I just can't wait to be your wife."

The minister looked back at his book. "If any person has cause to object to these two couples becoming married, speak now or forever hold your peace."

I tried my hardest, but I couldn't keep silent. "Well I think there's a few outside that might have a thing or two to say."

Simon and Jeanette didn't think it was funny, but the person who mattered at that moment did. Brittany laughed hysterically, and seeing her smile meant everything to me.

Simon spoke up, "Alvin, can we continue?"

"Sure Si."

"Well then, Simon, do you take Jeanette to be your wife?"

"I do."

"And Jeanette, do you take Simon to be your husband?"

"I do."

"Alvin, do you take Brittany to be your wife?"

"I do."

"Brittany, do you take Alvin to be your husband?"

"I do."

"Alvin and Brittany, Simon and Jeanette, I now pronounce you, husbands and wives. Husbands, you may kiss your brides."

I leaned towards Brittany and kissed her with every ounce of passion in my body. For that moment, all of the pain in the world went away. The four of us walked back down the aisle towards the entrance of the church. We opened the door, and that's when my life changed. I just wish I could say, it changed for the better.

I didn't really know what was going on. I heard a loud noise, and that was it.

Suddenly I felt someone pulling at my arms. I turned my head and I was being dragged back into the chapel. Then I realized what was going on. It wasn't just a loud noise. I knew that noise all too well. Someone had fired a gun.

As the door of the chapel shut, I quickly looked around to see if everybody was okay. "Where are Simon and Jeanette?"

Brittany grabbed my hand. "They're here. It's going to be fine."

"Good. At least none of us were hurt."

She put her arm around me, "Lie down Alvin, it'll be fine."

"What do you mean?" I asked. As she leaned me down, I saw my shirt. More importantly, I saw the stain on my shirt. It wasn't until that moment that I realized what had happened; I was the one who was shot. After I figured it out, everything came together, that's when I actually started to feel what had happened. My body weakened as I began to feel the pain of the wound. For once, I realized what it felt like to be shot.

I understood the pain that our victims had gone through a little more. I couldn't help but think of them, as I bled on the floor of the chapel. I held my wife's hand as tightly as I could.

Suddenly more shots were fired. I looked to make sure nobody else was hurt, but I couldn't see. My vision turned black, and that is the last thing that I remember of my wedding day.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: Pure Sorrow**

**Dave's POV**

It was hard to not know what was going on in my own son's life. I hadn't heard from Simon or Alvin since they moved out. I knew they would have called if they could, but it was just hard to not be able to talk to my boys.

I walked over to Theodore. "Theo, why don't we watch some T.V."

He shuffled his foot around in a circle and stared at the floor. "Okay Dave."

We walked over to the television and sat down. It was hard seeing Theodore like this. I knew he was confused. Part of him loved his brothers, and wanted to believe in them, but another part was confused by why his brothers did what they did.

I couldn't say that I blamed Theo, I was confused too.

I turned on one of Theo's favorite shows, but the television suddenly turned to news. "Sorry Theo, I guess there's not going to be any T.V. right now." I reached over to the remote to turn the television off, but I felt a hold on my arm. Then I looked up and saw what was on the television screen. It was Alvin's face.

I turned the volume up.

"Today, at a small private wedding ceremony where Simon and Alvin Seville were to be married..." I was confused. How come I hadn't heard about the wedding? Were they that upset with me? I shook out of my daze and watched the television.

"We still don't have any information about the exact details of the incident, but we do know that shots were fired shortly after the ceremony." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A small stack of papers was handed to the newscaster. She looked down at the papers and then continued.

"We do have some new information. Police are confirming that Alvin Seville was wounded in the gunfire. We have footage from a camera inside the chapel that we will be playing for you shortly. Please keep in mind that this footage may be disturbing to some viewers."

Seeing the footage of Alvin shot was too much to handle. I forgot that Theo was next to me, or I would have sent him away. But I couldn't take my eyes of my child, being shot. And there was nothing I could do for him.

The newscaster began to narrate the footage. "Here you can see Alvin being pulled in, and then we hear two more shots. One of them can be seen going through the door of the chapel, but the four are off camera. We still don't know the condition of… Just a second…" The newscaster's voice cracked as she reported this update. "We have unconfirmed reports that Alvin Seville has died. We are trying to get confirmation, but we do know that the coroner is at the scene of the shooting. We will bring you more information as soon as it is available."

I hit the power button to the television. "Come on Theo, we need to get to the hospital."

"Dave?"

"What is it Theo?"

He started to cry, and then he ran up and grabbed my side. "Alvin's going to be okay, right?"

"I hope so Theo."

"Dave?"

"What Theo?"

"Will I get to tell Alvin I'm sorry?"

I bent down to him, "For what?"

He turned away, "I was mean to him. I didn't want to talk to him, but I was wrong. He isn't bad, he's a wonderful brother. I should have believed in him."

"I know Theo. Let's just find out where Alvin is. I hope we both get a chance to apologize."

The phone rang and I picked it up, hoping to hear news from Simon. "Hello?"

"D-Dave?"

"Eleanor?"

I heard sniffling from the other end, "Ms. Miller is out. I heard about Alvin. Are you going to see him?"

"I'm trying to, but I don't even know where he is."

"C-Can I come? I want to be there for Brittany."

"Sure Eleanor. We'll be over to pick you up in a minute."

"Do you think Brittany will want to see me?"

"I know she will."

I grabbed our coats and we walked towards the door. Just as I was about to open the door, I heard a knock. I slowly opened the door, to reveal what I had feared most.

In the doorway stood two police officers.

"Mr. Seville?"

My eyes filled with tears. "Yes?"

"I'm not sure if you've heard, but there was a shooting…"

I interrupted him. "I know. I need to know how my son is. And I heard that there were more gunshots. Do you know who else was hurt?"

"Mr. Seville you may want to sit down." I slowly sat down in the small lawn chair in front of the house. "The second shot went through the door of the chapel and hit…"

"What?"

"It was your daughter."

"My daughter?" The word shocked me. I had forgotten for a moment about the wedding. Actually, I didn't even know if he was talking about Jeanette or Brittany. I heard on the news that they were both getting married. But I had a much harder question to ask, something that was more important. "I heard that someone was killed? If the second shot hit..." I suddenly realized what this meant. "Who was killed?"

"I wish I could say it was the shooter, but I can't. I'm sorry to say that that the person who was killed this afternoon was…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Now that was about the meanest cliffhanger I have ever done (or seen for that matter). Was Brittany or Jeanette shot? Who died? There's only one way to find out! Watch for updates and please review! (I'll be sure to get the next chapters out ASAP given what I left you off with.)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Where the Truth Lives**

A/N: You must think I planned that outage of the site with the way I left last chapter. Well here's the next two chapters! Enjoy and please review!

**Simon's POV**

I couldn't believe what had happened. Somehow the whole thing seemed familiar. The siren's blared in my ear, but no matter how loud the noise, all I could do is stare at the frail, dying chipmunk.

Suddenly I heard a faint voice. "Simon? Is that you?"

I leaned over, "Yes it is."

"How is she?"

"I don't know. You need to rest right now."

I felt a firm grasp on my hand. "Simon, I need to know…"

"But…"

The voice grew loud, "Damn it Simon. Tell me…"

I sighed, and before I could answer, I was interrupted.

"Simon, please tell me where my wife is?"

I leaned Alvin back down into his stretcher. "Alvin, you are very weak right now. You are hurt badly. You need to rest. Jeanette is with Brittany."

He calmed down slightly. "Is Jeanette alright?"

"Yeah." I had to tell him the truth. "Alvin…"

"What is it?"

I grabbed his hand, "Brittany was injured."

He started to cry, "I know. It's the last thing I saw. How is she? Please tell me the truth."

"I don't know. Like I said, she's with Jeanette. Your ambulance left first."

He turned his head to hide his tears, "Why did I leave first? Is it because I needed to get to the hospital quicker… or because I actually had a chance?"

"I don't know Alvin. We just have to keep hope. We'll find out soon enough."

The ambulance stopped and the back door flung open. Before I knew it, Alvin was being pulled into the hospital."

"What happened?" A doctor yelled as he pulled Alvin into the hospital.

The paramedic answered, "Gunshot wound to the chest."

"Any others?"

"I don't know. I just know about him and a female fatality."

I ran up to the paramedic. "You were the driver of Alvin's ambulance. I'm his brother, why didn't you tell me..."

He bent down to my level. "I'm sorry. I just heard over the radio as the ambulance pulled in? Was it someone you know?"

I didn't know what to say… "Yeah. Just don't tell Alvin. I need to."

"Sure thing. I'll make sure the doctor knows to let you tell him."

I walked into the waiting room and sat down. The hours seemed to pass so slowly as I waited for the operation to finish. Of course it was nice when Jean showed up, but it was so hard waiting for news.

"Jean? Do you think Alvin will be alright?"

She grabbed my hand, "I don't know."

"Are you okay? I mean you and her were…"

"I know. I'm fine. I'm just worried about Alvin right now."

I squeezed her hand "I know Jean."

She leaned her head on my shoulder. "I can't believe what our lives have come to."

"I know."

"Mr. Seville? Ms. Miller? You can come with me…"

Jeanette stood up. "It's Mrs. Seville."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Seville. You can both come with me. The operation is over."

I walked into the small room and sat next to Alvin.

After a few minutes, his eyes opened, and he started to talk. "Simon? Is that you?"

"Yes Alvin. I'm right here."

"Where's Brittany."

"Alvin, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

I grabbed his hand, "I know how hard this is going to be to hear, but you need to listen. Just remember, this is not your fault."

"What is it?"

"When Brittany was shot, she…"

Suddenly the door flung open.

I turned around, "Can you give us a minute?"

"Sure thing Simon… I just wanted to see how he was doing."

I smiled, "Just come in, I was about to tell Alvin."

"Alvin, she didn't make it."

He started to cry. "Was she in much pain?"

"No. She died very soon after she was shot. The doctors said she didn't feel a thing."

"This is my fault." Alvin said as he turned his head, "If I would have just pled guilty none of this…"

"Alvin… you didn't do anything wrong. This isn't your fault."

He sat up, "She didn't deserve to die. Her death was meaningless."

"No Alvin, she did die for a reason. She was trying to protect Brittany. That was her job. She died guarding Brittany from getting shot a second time. She was a fine police officer, but there was nothing anybody could have done."

"I know. It's just so hard. How are you doing Brittany?"

"I'm fine. Thanks to her, I was only hit in the arm. Doctor says I'll be good to go in a few days. She saved my life."

Alvin leaned back in his bed. "Brittany, can you leave me and Simon alone for a second."

"Sure Alvin."

She walked out of the room, and I turned to Alvin. "What is it?"

"Simon, I might not make it out of here, so I need to tell you something."

"Alvin, don't think like that. You'll be fine."

He leaned his head forward, "No Simon, I don't know that. I need to tell you…"

"What is it Alvin?"

"I need to tell you the truth about what happened. You know I haven't been honest. I can't let the truth die with me."

"What is it Alvin?"

The door to the room swung open and I turned around, "Can you give us a minute please? We asked not to be interrupted."

"I'm sorry."

Alvin turned his head, "It's fine. What is it?"

"You're going to be fine Alvin. Your surgery went better than expected, and even though you were bleeding pretty bad, we found out during the surgery that there was absolutely no permanent damage."

"Thank you doctor."

"I'll leave you two alone." He walked out of the room.

I turned back towards Alvin, "Alvin, what is it?"

"It's nothing Simon. Just forget it. I was just worried."

I walked out of the room and sat next to Jeanette. "Jean?"

"Yeah Simon?" When she turned to talk to me, I noticed she was crying.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Officer Rivera. Out of all the officers there, she was the one that always used to talk to me like a real person. She didn't deserve this."

"I know Jean."

"I'm sorry Simon. You wanted to tell me something?"

"It's Alvin…"

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. But before the doctor told him he was going to be alright, he was going to tell me something. He said that he lied before, and he was going to tell me the truth."

"What was it?"

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me once he found out he wasn't dying."

She grabbed my hand, "So he did lie… I wonder…"

"There's only one thing it could be. Alvin wasn't acting in self-defense. I think Alvin really did intend to kill him. I think my brother is a murderer."


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: Together Again**

**Brittany's POV**

I was lying down in my hospital bed when I felt a tug at my side.

"She's sleeping" a man whispered.

I slowly turned around. "No I'm not. What is…" I stopped dead in my tracks. "Elle?"

She climbed onto the bed and hugged me. "I'm sorry Brittany. About everything. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Elle." I closed my eyes and hugged her as hard as I could with my good arm. "You shouldn't be with us. It's too dangerous."

"I don't care. I missed you too much."

I heard a whimpering. At first I thought it was Elle, then I thought it was me. But I noticed it wasn't coming from either of us, it was coming from behind Dave. "Theo? Is that you?"

He came out from behind Dave. "Uh-huh." He sniffed up his tears and walked towards me. "Bri-Brittany," he stuttered, "Do you think Alvin will fo-forgive me?"

I let go of Eleanor and scooted to the edge of my bed. "I know he will, Theodore. Come on. Let's go see him." I got up and walked the group over to Alvin's room.

When we got to the door, Dave stopped me from turning the handle. "He's probably sleeping… we should wait until tomorrow."

I smiled at Dave. "Dave, it's six o'clock. I think he's still awake."

"But…"

"It's going to be fine. I know him. He's my husband."

Dave let his hand off the handle and opened the door. "Alvin?"

"What is it Brittany?"

I walked over to the bed and put my hand on his arm. "There's some people here to see you."

"Good, I wanted to talk to Simon."

"It's not Simon."

He slowly turned, shocked at who stood in the doorway. "Theo? Dave?"

Theodore walked up. "Hi Alvin. How are you?"

Alvin didn't say anything.

Theodore's eyes started to water. "I'll go if you don't want…"

"I don't want you to leave. I never want you to leave." Alvin waived his hand to tell Theodore to come closer. "Theodore, I'm so sorry that I left."

Theo started to cry as he walked towards Alvin. "I'm the one who should apologize. I didn't trust you, and I…"

Alvin interrupted him. "Theo, you had no reason to trust me. I don't blame you for anything. I blame myself. Now come here, I haven't talked to you in a long time."

Dave walked up closer to Alvin. "Hi Alvin. How are you feeling? What did the doctor say?"

"I'm going to be fine. Especially now that we're together again."

"I heard about the police officer."

Then it occurred to me and Alvin. I looked at him and shook my head. "Dave, you being here means more to me than anything. But I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything Alvin."

Alvin let go of Theodore's hand and pressed the button to lean his bed up. "I need all of you to leave. I won't lose contact with you this time, I'll call you, but you can't be near me."

"But Alvin…"

"No but's Dave. I need you to do this. For Theo and for Elle. That police officer died because she was near us. It's too dangerous. There are too many people after us."

Dave walked over to Alvin and hugged him, "I don't want to lose you again."

"You won't. But I have to stay away. I'm doing this for everybody."

Dave let go overcome with tears. "What about Simon and Jeanette?"

"They're involved. Just as many people are after Simon, and Jeanette's not going to leave him. Bu the three of you are in danger as long as you're near us. Please leave."

Dave walked towards the door pulling Theodore away. "Okay Alvin. I'll do it for you."

Theodore looked up at Alvin in tears. "I love you Alvin…"

Alvin started to cry. "I love you to Theo. Now go."

Eleanor looked up at me. "Britt?"

"What Elle?"

"Can I see Jean before I go?"

I looked at Alvin and he shook his head. "They're probably in the waiting room. Let's go."

We all walked towards the waiting room and saw Simon and Jeanette sleeping in two chairs.

Dave looked at me, "We should let them sleep."

"No. They can sleep at home." I shook Jeanette and Simon awake. "Guys get up."

"What is it Brittany?" Jeanette asked.

"Just get up."

They leaned up and saw the three standing there.

Theodore looked at Simon. "Simon? I'm sorry…"

Simon stood up and walked towards Theodore. "It's okay Theo. Everything's okay now. You guys can't stay here though."

"We know." Dave interrupted. "But we had to see you."

Eleanor walked over to Jeanette, "Jean? Are you ever coming back?"

"I don't know when, but we'll be together again."

"Good. I've been afraid I wouldn't ever see you again."

Jeanette hugged Eleanor, "That could never happen."

Dave smiled at Simon and Jeanette hugging their siblings. "So I hear you two are married?"

Simon let go of Theodore. "Yes. But I wish it was under better circumstances."

Then I looked down the hall and saw it. "You three need to go now. Get out."

"What is…"

"Just go."

I pushed the three of them down the hall and they sprinted away from us, not knowing what was going on. I turned around."

"Simon! Jean! In my room!"

The three of us ran into my room and locked the door.

"That was close." Simon whimpered.

I looked out the small window on the door. "I know. If those reporters would have seen us, Elle would never have been able to go back to a normal life."

The three of us sat on the floor, relieved as the group of reporters left. Reporters didn't seem like a problem to most people, but for us, every time we spoke to a reporter, people found new ways to twist our words and blame us. And if we said no comment, we were hiding the truth. Every reporter that came near us put our lives in danger.

I felt Simon lightly shaking on my shoulder. "Brittany, while we're here, there's something you need to know."

"What is it Simon?"

"Alvin told me that he is hiding something. That's why he asked you to leave us alone earlier. So he could tell me."

"Well, what was it?"

Simon sighed, "I don't know. He never told me."

I started to cry, "You don't think…"

"I don't want to," Simon interrupted, "But I am starting to think it. I think Alvin murdered him."

I turned away from the two of them as I cried.

Jeanette spoke up, "He'll tell us in time Britt. Just have faith in him."

"I know Jean. But it's so hard. He shouldn't lie to us, but he is."

Jeanette put her arms around me, "He's a good person. If he is hiding something, whatever it is, he has a reason."

"I hope your right Jean. I'd hate to think they're right about him."

Simon stood up, "They're not. Alvin's a lot of things, but he isn't what they make him to be. Whatever he did, I'm staying by him."

"So am I." Jeanette added.

I stood up, "We're all staying by his side. That much is obvious. I just wish I could help him through this. But I can't, not unless I know what he did."

Jeanette turned to me. "Why don't you ask him? He might tell you, you're his wife."

I turned around in tears, "I have. He won't tell me. I'm just afraid that it's something even worse than we think. I just don't know him anymo…" I felt Jeanette's hand covering my mouth.

Simon began to cry and smashed his hand against the door. "Get the hell away!" He screamed. "Now!"

I heard footsteps pull away from the door.

He turned to me and whispered, "Those bastards."

I couldn't believe it as I watched. Every word I had said was on television. The whole world knew Alvin was lying. The whole world knew I didn't trust him. In seconds… I put everybody's lives in danger.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay so the whole death thing was a little mean... I mean I have to keep it interesting. Now we have EVEN BIGGER questions… what did Alvin do that's so horrible? Will Alvin forgive Brittany? Will anybody forgive Brittany? How much trouble will this cause the Seville's? FIND OUT! Keep watching for updates and please review!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: In the Night**

A/N: I have to address one of the questions a review raised in case anybody else was confused. At the end of chapter 28, the police officer didn't say that Dave's daughter was killed, he said that she was shot. So that's how it turned out that she lived… I just didn't want anybody to be confused!

Please enjoy these chapters! We're starting to wind down to the end of the book (I think we're a little over 2/3 of the way through now). It's been a lot of fun writing, and I'm glad so many people are enjoying this story! Please review!

**Jeanette's POV**

Life wasn't easy after the announcement. A lot of things changed in our lives after that newscast. And nothing changed for the better.

The obvious problem was the reporters. They followed all of us everywhere, and since Brittany and Alvin were in the hospital, we couldn't just stay at home all the time. We had to be there for them. Plus they were out in the open, so it was hard to keep the reporters away from them. Eventually, the hospital got involved and kept the reporters out of their rooms, which was great for Alvin and Brittany, but left me and Simon with all of the questions to answer.

That was the other hard part, the questions. We didn't have the answers. All we had were speculations. Even if we wanted to tell the reporters the truth, we couldn't have, because the same questions they had were bothering us as well.

Then there was the protesters, or as Simon called them 'the angry villagers'. I've never seen a group of people so consumed with hate in my life. Not that I could blame them. After all, Alvin did lie in court, and he didn't go to prison for what he did, whatever that is. I didn't know what to think. Simon continued to support Alvin, but it was so hard for him.

Of course, that was the hardest of the changes for me to live with. Simon. Simon changed so much after the newscast. I knew he would change, but not like this. Usually when something like this happened, he would get upset with Alvin or the protesters, but he wasn't. He was panicked. He would only sleep for a few hours each night. Most of the time when I woke up he was just sitting in a chair in the room, staring into space. I didn't know what was wrong with him. One day I put my hand on his shoulder, and he jumped. He never acted like that before. I was always the nervous one out of the two of us, not him. He was always so strong, but now he seemed broken and afraid.

But that wasn't the half of it. The worst part wasn't when he was awake, it was when he was asleep.

One night I was lying in bed next to Simon. I wasn't a very sound sleeper, so I would wake up during the night if there was even the smallest noise. But this wasn't a small noise.

I jumped up in a panic, "What is it?"

Simon sat up in bed, "What Jean? Why did you wake me up?"

I started to laugh, "Me? You started screaming in your sleep. Were you having another nightmare?"

"I guess. I usually do."

"Is it the same one?"

He shook his head, "It always is."

I stood up and turned on the light. "Simon, we need to talk."

"Sure Jean, I'm up now anyway."

I turned to him, "This is serious. You've been having nightmares like this since the wedding."

He turned around and started to cry.

"It's been longer?"

He quietly shook his head.

"Since we moved?"

"No."

"Since the trial?"

"No."

"You've been having these dreams since it happened?"

He shook his head.

I walked over to him and gave him a hug. "How often?"

He wiped the tears from his face, "Every single night. Every night that I sleep that is…"

"I knew about the one time, you know before you testified, but every night? Simon this is serious."

"I know."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He sat down, "It's just such a horrible dream. And every day, I feel like…"

"Like that's what happened?"

"Yeah."

We sat down together on the bed, and he leaned against me.

"Simon, maybe it would help if you talk through the dream."

"We've gone through it before."

I held him tightly, "Just try."

"Like I've gold you, in the dream, I'm watching over what happened. I'm not in my body. And I see Alvin shoot him in the back."

"You have to keep going Simon."

He took a deep breath, "Then he walks over to him, and he stands over top of his body. He sees his arm move, and he puts the gun to his head. Then he fires it again. And again. And again. And again." Simon couldn't control his tears.

"It's okay Simon. Just let it out."

"But what if that's what happened?"

"It isn't."

"But…"

"Just have faith Simon. He's your brother."

Simon pulled away, "I'm just so confused. The evidence…"

"The evidence says that you two didn't change shirts… the evidence is wrong."

"I know. But…"

"He's your brother. Even if that's what happened, you have to believe that he had a reason."

Simon walked out of the room. "If that's what happened, there is no reason. He's hiding something, and I can't stand to think of what it could be anymore."


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: A Second Chance**

**Simon's POV**

I grabbed Jeanette and we jumped into the car. "I can't believe this is happening. They said it wouldn't."

"They can't predict the future, they can only do their job. They did their best."

As the car flew down the street, being escorted by a police car in front of us, we continued to talk. "Jean, I'm so worried. What if he doesn't make it?"

"He will Simon. Have faith."

I took a deep breath, "How could this happen? I just don't understand."

"Yes you do. You know exactly why this happened, we all do."

I shook my head, "You're right. I hope we get to the hospital quick, before he…"

"He isn't going to die."

"We don't know that."

"Let's just get there. I just can't believe that the police didn't stop him from going in the room."

"Simon, he was in a hospital uniform, they couldn't have known he was going to do anything."

"I know. I'm just upset."

We pulled up to the hospital and the two of us ran in the door. A reporter grabbed us, "Mr. Seville, do you care to comment…"

"No I don't care to comment."

"But Mr. Seville."

"Just leave my family alone. Your reporting was the reason why he was shot, it was the reason why he was in this hospital, and it's the reason someone stabbed him in is bed." I pushed past the reporters and went into the hospital. The police brought me to Alvin's room, but it was empty.

A nurse came into the room. "Where's Alvin Seville? He's my brother."

"He's in surgery."

"Damn." I turned to Jeanette in tears, "I never got to tell him…"

"I know. Where's Brittany Seville?"

"She's in room 310, you'll have to talk to the police to go in, she's under guard after…"

Jeanette interrupted, "We know."

The two of us went into Brittany's room. Jeanette sat next to her. "Hi Brittany. How are you doing?"

She turned to us, "You're kidding, right? I've been shot. My husband's been shot, and now he's been stabbed. We have hundreds of people following us everywhere, and the last thing Alvin may remember before he dies, is that none of his family has faith in him anymore."

"He knows…"

"No he doesn't Jean. I never talked to him about the newscast. I was too scared to. We would talk about a million things, but after what we said, he stopped talking about that night. I never got to tell him that I was sorry."

I gave Brittany a hug, "He's my brother Britt. I know him. He may be upset, but he understands. Think of how you felt about Elle and Theo. You weren't mad at them, and he isn't mad at us."

"We should have…"

"We had no reason to. He did lie."

Brittany shook her head, "I know. I just wish I kept my mouth shut. If it hadn't gone on the news, this wouldn't have happened."

I sat down next to her, "I don't know what would have happened, but none of us can take back that night. As much as we..."

"Simon!" Jeanette yelled. She ran to the door, "Get a doctor in here."

A doctor came in the room and looked at me, "What's wrong?"

I looked up, "It's nothing, just a little pain in my side. It's gone now."

Jeanette started to cry, "He grabbed his side and he couldn't even speak for a second. This isn't the first time it's happened."

The doctor bent down to see Simon. He pressed on his side, "Does that hurt?"

"No. The pain's all gone. It's nothing."

The doctor stood up, "If that's happened a lot, you should have it checked out, but I don't think it's anything serious. Most likely it's a strained muscle. Do you have any heart disease?"

"No."

The doctor walked over to Jeanette, "It's probably nothing serious Mrs. Seville, but if you like we can run some tests."

"That won't be necessary." I answered. "I'm fine."

Jeanette turned to me, "Yes it is necessary. Doctor, run the tests."

"I'm one to agree with your wife Mr. Seville."

"Fine, at least I won't have to just sit here and wait for Alvin's surgery to finish."

I went with the doctor and he did some tests. A few hours later he came into Brittany's room where I was waiting with the results.

Jeanette stood up, "What's wrong doctor?"

"Nothing."

I stood up, "So it was just a muscle…"

"No. There's nothing wrong, it doesn't make sense."

Jeanette was confused, "Why doesn't it make sense?"

"There is no medical reason for the pain. I don't know what's causing it."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"I believe the pain is probably psychosomatic."

Brittany interrupted, "What does that mean?"

I turned to her, "He's saying it's in my head."

Jeanette turned to the doctor, "I saw him grab his side, it wasn't in his head."

The doctor closed his clipboard, "It's the only explanation for the pain. Sometimes these things can manifest as actual pain, and appear to be very real. Your family is under a lot of stress right now. There's a good chance he's manifesting that stress in a form of pain."

I sat up, "So there's no other explanation."

He sighed, "There's no other likely explanation."

As he walked away, I stopped him. "What does that mean? What's the unlikely explanation?"

"I do know of a couple of rare conditions that could cause this that wouldn't be detected on the tests we ran, but it's doubtful that any of those are causing it."

"What are they?"

"Mr. Seville, frankly none of them make sense at your age and in your condition. With the stress your under, it almost definitely psychosomatic."

"But it could be something else?"

"There is one possible explanation, but even if it is that, there isn't anything that we can do, and it isn't permanent anyway. In either case, the solution is to go home, rest, and try and alleviate some of the stress you're under."

As the doctor started to leave I stopped him again, "Do you know where Alvin is?"

The doctor turned around and smiled as he came back in the door, "As a matter of fact I do. I just saw them wheel him into his room. You should go talk to him."

The four of us walked towards Alvin's room. We slowly walked in the door, and noticed he was asleep.

Alvin's doctor turned to us, "He's going to be asleep for the rest of the night."

"How is he?"

The doctor set Alvin's chart down on the bed, and looked up at us, "I don't know. All we can do is wait now. He's had a lot of damage done to his body, and he's lost a lot of blood between these two injuries. How he's survived this long, I don't know."

Brittany hugged Jeanette and started to cry, "Is he going to live?"

"Only time can tell Mrs. Seville. You all should go home and get some rest."

Reluctantly, I followed his advice, and I went home with Jeanette. However, I knew one thing. I wouldn't be getting any rest that night. I wouldn't get any rest, until I knew how my brother was doing. I couldn't rest knowing that I might never get the chance to tell him, that I was sorry. Sorry for doubting him. I couldn't live with the fact, that he could die, not knowing that I still trusted him.

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><p><strong>AN: What's wrong with Simon? Will Alvin live? What the heck did Alvin do? How many more times can Alvin get attacked before he finally dies? FIND OUT! Please keep watching for updates and please review!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: Sleepless Nights**

A/N: I hope everybody is enjoying the story. As sad as it is, this story is actually coming to an end. Part of me wants it to last forever, because I'm enjoying writing it so much, but by next week, this story will be completed. (Assuming of course that the site doesn't break again…)

Now I do need to mention something a little unrelated to this story, but I ask you to read it anyway. It's about AATC in general. I'm really bothered by the fact that the AATC community has grown so far apart. Particularly on this site, where people don't even talk to each other. They just post stories and go on with their day. There used to be a forum called the Seville Library where there were huge discussions on fanfiction and dozens of active users, but by the time I came into fanfiction, that site was dead. I really think we need a place we can talk about fanfiction. And I would like to see a return of things like the fanfiction contests that were done on that site, so I have created a forum called "AATC Archive" (It's on this website under the forums). My goal is to turn this forum into a community for fanfiction readers and writers to discuss AATC. Please join me on this board, and spread the word, so that we can become a community again. (End rant). Back to the story!

**Jeanette's POV**

I knew the night we got back from the hospital wouldn't be easy. Simon needed to rest, but I knew it would be hard for either of us to get to sleep after what happened to Alvin.

"Simon?"

He turned around in bed and smiled at me, "What is it Jean?"

"You can't sleep either?"

"Are you kidding? My brother's in the hospital with a gunshot wound and a stab wound, and the last thing he heard me tell him was that I didn't trust him. You tell me if I'm sleeping?"

"How are you feeling?"

Simon sighed, "Fine. Stressed out but fine."

"You're stressed?"

"Jean you're kidding with these questions right?"

I laughed, "I'm sorry, I just worry about you."

He bent over and kissed my cheek. "Just go to sleep Jean. I love you, but go to sleep."

I kissed him back, "Okay Simon."

A few moments later, I began to drift off. Like I said before, I'm a light sleeper. A few hours into my sleep, I woke up to a loud thump.

I turned over and noticed Simon wasn't in bed. "Simon?"

He didn't answer.

I called louder into the next room. "Simon!"

He still didn't answer. I decided to get up and check. As I opened the door to the bedroom, I felt the leg of my pajamas being pulled, I bent down to see what they were caught on, and then I realized they weren't caught, they were being grabbed.

"Oh my God! Simon!"

Simon was on the floor clenching his chest. I was in complete panic. I knew I needed to call an ambulance, but it wasn't until he finally yelled out that I snapped out of my shock.

"Please help!" That was all he was able to say, and all I needed to hear to break out of my trance. I ran to the phone and dialed 9-1-1.

"What is your emergency?"

"My husband is on the ground, he's clenching his chest. I need an ambulance."

"I'm sending an ambulance now. Does he have a pulse?"

"It's very faint."

"Does he have a history of heart problems?"

"No, but he has been having chest pains lately. But the doctor said it wasn't his heart. And I don't know if you need to know this but he's a chipmunk."

"Did you say he's a chipmunk?"

"Yes. It's Simon Seville." Simon's name was well known by now. Even the mention of his name seemed to make the dispatcher more weary of the situation.

"Okay I'm going to try and give you some general medical advice, but I'm not sure if it will be the same with him since he's a chipmunk, okay?"

"Okay."

"Now, he might be having a heart attack, do you have nitroglycerin pills?"

"No."

"Do you have any aspirin?"

I fumbled around in the drawer. I had a tendency to injure myself, so I always had pain pills lying around. The trick was to find the right ones. "Yes. I've got them."

"Give him two full size aspirin."

"Okay." I stuck the pills in his mouth, and he formed the strength to chew and swallow the pills. "What do I do now?"

"Wait. The ambulance will be there any minute. I'm going to stay on the phone with you until they come, okay?"

"Okay."

"Now continue to check his pulse, and tell me immediately if you can't feel it."

"Okay." I grabbed Simon's wrist and held on. I knew that as long as he still had a pulse, there was still a chance he would pull through. A few moments later, I heard the ambulance coming. I ran to the door and opened it. The ambulance pushed past the protesters in front of the house, and came inside.

"Where is he?"

"This way." I walked the paramedics into the bedroom. They loaded Simon onto a stretcher and we went to the hospital.

He held my hand in the ambulance. "Jean?"

"Yes Simon?"

"I love you."

"I love you too Simon."

"What's wrong with me?"

"You're having a heart attack."

"But the doctor…"

"He was wrong."

The ambulance pulled up to the hospital and we were rushed in.

Before I knew it, Simon was being pulled away from me, and I was being held back by a nurse. "I love you Simon!" I yelled as he was wheeled down the hall. I didn't know where to go, so I went to the one place I could think of.

I knocked on the door.

"Hello?"

I walked into the room. "Hi Brittany?"

She sat up, "Jean, I love you visiting me, but it's three in the morning."

I sat down on the edge of her bed in tears, "Simon had a heart attack."

Brittany put her good arm around me, "I'm sorry Jean, I didn't know. How is he?"

"I don't know. We just got here."

She squeezed me, "He'll be fine."

I turned to her, "How are you doing? When are you going to get out of here?"

She smiled, "Well, to be honest, I have the doctors letting me stay here so I can be with Alvin. But I also still have some healing to do."

"How is Alvin?"

"He's doing better since you left. I think he'll pull through."

I sat with my sister until sunrise, just waiting to hear something about Simon.

"What's going on Britt? Why haven't they told me what's happening?"

"I don't know Jean. I wish I did."

A few minutes later, the door finally opened. "Mrs. Seville?"

I turned around, "You're going to have to be more specific."

"Jeanette Seville?"

"That's me."

"I'm here to update you on your husband's condition."

"How is he?"

"Well, there's something unusual about your husband's case. This may take some explaining…"


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34: Broken Heart Syndrome**

**Simon's POV**

I woke up to a bright light. At first I didn't know where I was. I remember feeling horrible pain, but all the pain was gone. I started to sit up.

"Mr. Seville? You're in the hospital."

"What happened?"

"We still don't really know. We're running tests to see exactly what caused this, but you seemed to have a heart attack, but we can't find any blockage."

"Am I going to live?"

The doctor glanced at my chart again and looked up, "I don't see why not. I don't even see why you had a heart attack. It doesn't make sense."

"Do you know how Alvin Seville is?"

The doctor smiled at me, "He's fine. He just woke up a few minutes ago himself."

"Can I see him?"

The doctor thought for a moment. "Okay. I'll have a nurse bring in a wheel chair and take you to him."

"Thank you."

A few minutes later, I was brought into Alvin's room. "Alvin?"

"Simon? Is that you?"

"Yup."

He turned his head towards me, "Why are you in a wheel chair?"

"I had… actually I don't know what happened, it was like a heart attack."

"A heart attack?"

"Yeah. But they said that it wasn't one. I don't know exactly, they're running tests. Alvin, you know that I didn't mean…"

"I know Simon."

"I just…"

"You don't have to apologize Simon. I am keeping secrets."

A few minutes later the doctor came in again.

The doctor came towards me. "Well we have the results of your tests Simon."

"What was it?"

"You had a pretty unusual condition. It's called Stress-Induced Cardiomyopathy."

"What's that?"

"In essence, you were almost scared to death. It happens when something excites your body, such as fear, causing various changes to your body that can cause the blood to stop flowing to your heart. This is the second time I've seen you with a rare condition…"

"I've never been a patient here before."

The doctor looked confused. "Simon, why don't you wait outside for a minute, I need to talk to Alvin."

I shook my head and wheeled myself outside. I knew it was wrong, but they were talking about me. I carefully listened at the door.

"Alvin, you haven't told him?"

"I couldn't. Nobody can know."

"Alvin, don't you understand. He almost died last night. He has to know the truth, whatever it is."

I pushed through the door, "What do I need to know. Alvin, just tell me already!"

"You shouldn't have done that Simon."

"Well I did. I have a right to know. Now tell me what you're hiding!"

The doctor looked at Alvin, "I'm going to leave you two alone."

"Alvin, tell me what the hell is going on."

"Sit down Simon."

"Alvin…"

"Just sit down. It's a long story."

I grabbed a chair and sat down next to Alvin's bed.

He took a deep breath, and then turned to me. "Simon…" he posted for a second, "What do you remember about the time after the shooting?"

"I remember the ambulances coming, and one took Brittany away and the other took the body. Then we all went to the hospital…"

"Do you remember going to the hospital?"

I was confused. I thought about it for a moment, "No… Now that you mention it, I don't really remember it."

"Keep going."

"So I guess I just remember being at the hospital."

"When Brittany was in her coma?"

"No. She was out of it. I don't really remember when she was in the coma. I just remember hearing about it."

He grabbed my hand. "Simon… there's a reason you don't remember that time. You were at the hospital, but you weren't with Brittany. You were in a room by yourself."

"What do you mean Alvin? Are you saying I was hurt?"

"No. Well sort of. You weren't injured, but you were sick."

"What happened?"

Alvin turned his head, "You really don't remember it at all, do you?"

"No. Now what happened?"

"After the shooting, you were upset. Extremely upset. They had to sedate you when you got to the hospital. They kept you… they kept you secluded. Then after a couple of days, you snapped out of it."

"I just snapped out of it?"

"Simon… don't you ever wonder why your memory of those weeks is so bad?"

I started to cry, "Of course I do…"

"You repressed the memories of that time. You blamed yourself for…"

"What?"

"It's nothing."

"What is it?"

Alvin scooted closer to me, "Simon I need you to close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

I closed my eyes, "Okay, now what?"

"I want you to really think about the nightmare you've been having."

"Okay."

"Now really think about what happened that night. Try to focus on everything that's happening."

I started to shake. I could feel Alvin holding my hand, but it wasn't enough comfort. "Oh my God." I began to cry uncontrollably. "Oh my God. Alvin, how could you?"

"I would do it for any person I love. Are you starting to remember?"

"Not starting. I remember everything. I can't believe it. I don't understand…"

"It's okay Simon."

"No it isn't." I stood from my wheel chair and ran out of the room. There was something I needed to do. I needed to tell the world everything that actually happened. I needed to tell them about how horrible Alvin's lies really were.

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><p><strong>AN: In case you're curious, the title of this chapter is actually the original name for the condition Simon had. One of the reasons I came up with this idea, is because I really wanted to name a chapter "Broken Heart Syndrome". Thank you John Hopkins! (They named the disease)**

**So, what did Alvin lie about? How bad was it? Seriously, what did Alvin do? We all know that there is still only one way to find out, and that is to watch for updates! Please leave a review and also please do me a favor and post something to the AATC Archive. I really do want to have a place for regular discussions, and I think this can be it. I know a lot of people feel the same way I do, so help me bring this community back together. (Spread the word!)**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35: Here Again**

A/N: I'm so sad right now. I just did the math and it looks like there are only around four-five more updates (grabs tissue). I'm really going to miss this story when it's done. As we get to the end, I really have to thank everybody who has taken the time to write a review or two… or you know… sixteen reviews (Not naming any names…). Well, I hope you all enjoy the rest of the story. I'll try to get chapter 37 and 38 out tomorrow!

Oh, and if you're a Bad Science reader, book 8 is *finally* up. Just FYI.

**Jeanette's POV**

When Simon told me what Alvin did, I couldn't believe it. At first I told Simon it had to be a mistake, but he just shook his head and told me it wasn't. When I found out that he actually remembered it happening, I couldn't control my tears. To find out the truth about what he did was just scary. Part of me was confused. I guess part of me was curious who he really was.

After Simon went public with the information, the hatred of our family just became worse. Of course, I think it's obvious why that is. Simon knew what going public with _this_ information would mean. And of course, it did happen. We were back. We were here again.

"All rise!" The bailiff yelled. "Court is now in session."

The judge walked to his chair and sat down. "You may be seated."

"Mr. Seville, please rise."

He stood up.

"Mr. Seville, you have pled guilty to the aforementioned charges, is that correct?"

"It is."

"We will proceed with sentencing. You may be seated. The state may proceed with your first witness for the sentencing hearing."

He stood up, "Thank you. We will be calling our ballistics expert first."

"Very well."

A few minutes later, a man walked up to a small desk. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"Yes."

The prosecutor stood up, "What is your educational background."

"I have a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, and a Master of Science in Forensic Science."

"How long have you worked in forensic science?"

"I've worked for fourteen years in ballistics and before that I worked for nine years in the coroner's office."

"Were you the only ballistics expert assigned to this case?"

"I was the one processing all of the evidence, but all of my findings were reviewed by another criminal analyst in our office."

"Tell us about the positioning of the bullet wounds."

A projector screen came on and the witness turned around. On the screen was a large photograph of the dead body. "Well as you can see, there were six entry points. Two in the back and four in the head. If you look at the two shots, they were fired in the lower right section and the upper left section of the back. Both shots entered at a slight diagonal angle each pointing in opposite directions."

"What does that tell you?"

"Well when you line the shots up, we see that both people were standing still, and these two shots were fired approximately ten to twelve feet away."

"How serious were these two wounds."

"Both wounds past straight through the sides of the victim. Neither one would have likely been fatal."

"With both wounds, how long could he have survived?"

"Laying on the ground bleeding? Maybe half an hour. But with medical care, he wouldn't have had any permanent damage or injury."

"What about the four shots to the head?"

"These were quite different. With these shots, we don't see as much separation, and they were all very straight. There is also residue from the gun on each of the wounds, indicating the weapon was fired no more than two to three feet away."

"What does that tell you?"

"It means the gun was aimed directly at his head from a very close distance. Since the victim wouldn't have been standing after the first shot, we can tell that all four shots were fired while the victim was lying face down on the ground."

"Based on the evidence, what conclusions have you been able to reach?"

"It is clear that the initial two injuries could potentially have been inflicted without time to prepare, such as you would see in a self-defense case or something like an affair shooting, where the person was panicked. But the only plausible explanation for the four other shots was that it was an execution."

"No further questions."

I closed my eyes. It was just like Simon described it to me. I couldn't believe this was actually happening. None of this seemed real. I just wanted to run out of the courtroom and never speak to him again, but I couldn't. As upset as I was, I knew there was an explanation.

The worst part of this all, was that I was being called to testify, as a character witness, nonetheless. Had this been a week earlier, I wouldn't have hesitated, but I was so conflicted. I never thought the truth that Simon told me could be this horrible. But I had to ignore my biases, and my gut reactions to what I was hearing. Our family needed to stay together, no matter what happened that night. Even though the evidence was true, I knew why he did it. Despite all of my feelings of how wrong it was, I had to believe in him.

The only comfort was that they couldn't try him for murder. He could still go to prison for a number of years, but at least his _entire_ life wouldn't hinge on my testimony, only the next ten or twenty years.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36: Young Siblings**

**Theodore's POV**

I was so nervous about testifying. I never did anything like it before. The thing that really worried me was that I'd mess it up, and he'd end up with a longer sentence because of me. But he really was nice about the whole thing. He told me I didn't even have to testify if I didn't want to. But then I really realized something that upset me, he wasn't expecting to come home. He was expecting to go to prison for a long time.

I sat next to Elle in the courtroom. "Elle? Are you nervous?"

"Of course I am. We both are. It's scary to have to go in front of all those people."

I looked around the room. I hadn't noticed all the people. Come to think about it, I didn't even think about it at all. "Thanks Elle. I was talking about what I was going to say. Now you have me thinking about the crowd too."

"Oh. Sorry Theodore."

"It's okay."

"Defense, are you ready to call you first witness?"

"Yes, we call Theodore Seville to the stand."

Elle pushed my side, "Go Theo."

"I don't want to. Can't you go first?"

"They called you. Now go. He's your brother."

"Okay." I slowly pulled myself from my seat and walked to the front of the courtroom.

"Do you swear to tell the truth the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I don't know why I said that, but I did. I was so nervous.

"Just answer yes or no?"

"What was the question?"

The judge put his head in his hand and mumbled the question again. I think he might have been a little frustrated for some reason. "Do you swear to tell the truth?"

"Dave always wants me to tell the truth."

Then he asked me the strangest question. "Sir, are you drunk?"

"Of course not. Why do you ask?"

"Forget it. Counsel, are you ready to proceed?"

"Yes, your honor."

He stood up, "Theodore, will you please state your full name for the record."

"You just did."

The lawyer held his head, I think there must have been a cold going around with all of the headaches these people had. "Just state your name please."

"Theodore Seville."

"Thank you. Now Theodore, how do you know the defendant?"

"He is my brother."

"You're aware of what he has confessed to doing, right?"

I shook my head. "Uh-huh."

"Do you feel this is characteristic of your brother?"

"You mean do I think it was unusual that he did it?"

"Exactly."

"No."

I heard moans and discussion among the crowd.

The judge looked down at me, "Did you understand the question?"

"Yes. He asked me if it was unusual or shocking that he did it, and I said no it was not unusual."

The lawyer approached me, "Theo, why do you say that?"

I looked at my brother who was in tears from my answer. "He's always been one to help someone in need. Brittany's life was in danger, and I know that if he hurt someone, it was because he had to. So no, it isn't unusual, because he did it to help someone. And I know that he would be willing to put his entire future on the line, if he thought it would help a friend."

The lawyer smiled. "Do you think what he did was wrong?"

"No. If he did it, it was because he had to. I know him too well. When I first heard of what happened I was upset. I didn't trust Alvin at first, because he has a hot temper sometimes. But I know that if either of my brothers did something like this, it was because they didn't have a choice. He wouldn't have done it just to hurt someone. Neither of them would have. He's not that kind of a person."

"No more questions your honor."

"Cross?"

"No, your honor."

"You may step down Theodore."

"Does that mean I can go?"

He grabbed his head again, "Yes Theodore."

As I got up, I had to tell the judge something, "You know tea is really good for headaches. Maybe you should get a cup."

He smiled at me, "Thanks for the advice. Now you can go sit down."

I scurried across the courtroom back in my chair. "How did I do Elle?"

"You did great Theo."

"We call Eleanor Miller to the stand."

"Eleanor Miller will you please come up to the witness stand."

Elle walked up to the stand at sat down.

"Ms. Miller do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"I do."

"Counsel you may proceed."

"Thank you your honor."

"Please state you name for the record."

"Eleanor Miller."

"Now Eleanor, how long have you known the defendant?"

"Close to thirteen years now."

"And were you always close?"

"Not exactly. I've always been really good friends with his brother, Theodore. The two of us have been friends for a while, but we've never been super-close like me and Theo."

"But you are a good friend?"

"I guess you could say that. We're family."

"By marriage you're family, but you've known him much longer than just the time since his marriage to your sister."

"Well yeah, but we've always been family. All six of us have been family. Maybe not literally, but we're all always there for each other."

"Do you think both of your sisters feel this way?"

"Absolutely."

"How about Alvin, Simon and Theodore?"

"Definitely."

He walked closer to Elle, "I want to ask you a question Eleanor. A hypothetical question."

"Okay."

"Let's say Alvin was in danger. Let's say that he was in a car accident. Would you risk your life to save him?"

"Definitely."

"Let's say that the driver of the car was intentionally trying to run Alvin off the road and kill him. Do you think that's right?"

"Obviously not."

"Well, let's say that you could stop him, but it meant you had to drive your car into the other driver. Would you do it?"

"To save Alvin? Yes."

"What if you knew it would kill the other driver?"

"Alvin didn't deserve to be in that situation. The other driver caused it to happen. I would do it."

"But how do you know that he was going to crash into Alvin?"

"You said he intended to?"

"But can't intents change?"

Elle's face started to turn a little red. I think she was getting upset. "We can only use our best judgment. If I thought he intended to kill him, and it looked like he was going to, that's enough proof for me that he was going to do it."

"So you think it comes down to sound judgment?"

"Absolutely."

"How is the defendant's judgment?"

"What do you mean?"

"In that type of a situation, where you have to make a life or death choice at a moment's notice, would you trust his judgment? At a time when you have to try and figure out if a person is going to kill someone you love, how do you think he would respond?"

"I can trust his judgment completely in that situation. You know, Alvin, Brittany, myself, and even Simon are all a little impulsive at times. But when it comes to the big things, the larger choices in life, I think all of us would do the right thing. I absolutely could trust his judgment in a decision that big."

"Let's talk about his personality."

"Okay."

"Does he ever get angry?"

"Of course. Everybody gets angry." She paused for a second. "Well, except Theo… and Jeanette. They don't seem to really get angry ever. But that's just because they're both so sweet."

"Let's stay on the defendant. How often does he get angry?"

"I don't know. I'm the only one of the five of us that hasn't lived with him at some point. You should ask them."

"But that's why I'm asking you, because you're a little more objective. Now you have seen him get angry, right?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever seen him hurt anybody?"

"No. He's never hurt anybody. He might talk back to someone or make a sarcastic comment, but he's not the type to physically hurt someone."

"You do realize what he has pled guilty to?"

"Like I said, that's different. He doesn't like hurting people. It isn't in his personality to physically hurt someone. But if he did, I know it's because he had no choice."

"No further questions you honor."

Eleanor came back down and sat next to me. "You were amazing Elle."

"Thanks Theo."

"Elle?"

"What?"

"Did you mean it when you said we were friends?"

"Of course."

"Oh."

"You sound upset."

I wiped a tear from my eye so she wouldn't notice. "No, I'm not."

"What is it Theo?"

"It's just… it's nothing."

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><p><strong>AN: Stupid Elle, can't you read between the lines? I really didn't intend for this chapter to be so long, but this was Elle and Theo's only really big scene in the book, so I wanted to capture their characters. I was going to split it up, but I really wanted to keep it together, but I think it worked out. Well, I hope you're enjoying the story. So how long will his prison sentence be? What is he being charged with? What did Simon tell everybody? FIND OUT! Watch for updates and please leave a review.**

**If you want, I have a poll up in my profile about which story you're enjoying more. Right now Bad Science is winning, so get to the polls if you disagree!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37: Thoughts from Family**

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><p>AN: Now I have to address the reviews I got last time. (You can skip to the story if you don't feel like reading random commentary) First off was our favorite busy reviewer. I LOVE ALL REVIEWS! Any of you can feel free to post a thousand reviews on any story. And I will read every one of them and they will all make me happy. I never want to discourage reviews, they keep me going!

Oh and as you may notice, I do sort of tend to call people out on reviews. I'd never say anything bad, but sometimes it's so fun to answer reviews in an author's note. That's just my way. If I ever do and you want it removed, I will, but I just can't resist to comment on some reviews. Speaking of which…

Now then we have Brittany Noel Seville's comment. I just laughed hysterically at the love scene comment. I was going to just send a PM, but this was just too funny not to address publicly (Sorry!). After I read it, I was sitting there trying to think of exactly how that love scene would work in this story… Something along the lines of: "Your honor we call… actually before Brittany testifies, we'd like to ask for a recess for Alvin and Brittany to procreate." Thoughts? Maybe another chapter? Just kidding, it's not happening… Sorry…

Okay, I'm going to stop before I chase away all of my reviewers… Please review, but keep in mind that you might inadvertently give me material to fill an author's note…

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><p><strong>Dave's POV<strong>

It was so hard to see my son on the stand. When Alvin was charged with murder, I never went to the courthouse. I never stood by his side. I don't know what made this time different. Maybe it was the fact that he needed me to testify.

As I sat on the stand, waiting to be asked some questions about my son, I couldn't help but wonder exactly what to say.

"Mr. Seville."

"Yes?"

"Please tell the court your relationship to the defendant."

"He is my son."

"Adoptive son, correct?"

"Well he's a chipmunk."

The attorney laughed for a moment, "So that's a yes, I presume."

"Yes."

"Your children are close, aren't they?"

I sighed, "Yes, but they used to be closer."

"Were they close at the time of the shooting?"

"Inseparable."

"So it was the trial that pulled them apart."

"It pulled all of us apart a little. We were conflicted. We didn't understand what Alvin was charged with. We didn't understand what happened that night."

"And have your feelings about Alvin changed?"

"No. I've always loved him and I always will. Nothing has ever or will ever change that."

The attorney walked closer to the podium, "Dave, why don't you tell the court about what life with three chipmunk children is like."

"Hectic." A few laughs were heard from the audience and I continued. "To be honest, Alvin was a handful. He was the most difficult of the three. He was headstrong, and he didn't always listen to what I said."

"So he was disobedient?"

"In a way. But he always had a reason for what he did. Sometimes it was selfish, but usually he was trying to do something good in his own way."

"What about Simon?

"Well Simon was the genius of the family. I couldn't even teach him anything past about fourth or fifth grade because he was already reading college textbooks that I didn't understand. He always had inventions going."

"Was he ever disobedient?"

"All the time. He would ignore me just as often as Alvin did. But that's because he went with Alvin on every stunt he ever pulled, because Simon wanted to make sure Alvin didn't get in over his head."

"Do you think that's why he got involved in Brittany's kidnapping?"

I sighed, "I don't know. That was different. Any of us would have done anything to get her out of there. We were all a big family in a way. He may have wanted to keep Alvin out of trouble, or he may have just wanted to save one of his closest friends. You'd have to ask him."

"Do you trust your children's judgment?"

"Absolutely. All three can be impulsive from time to time, but for the big things in life, they're the most reliable three children on the Earth."

"You said they can be impulsive. Explain."

"Well they wouldn't always think a plan through to the end. Sometimes they'd make a bad choice, but for any really big decisions, they always would make sure they made the right choice."

"That describes all of your children?"

"Except Simon, he was always ten steps ahead of the game. I guess he really wasn't impulsive. It just seemed like that because he was always in with Alvin on his ideas. So I guess I was wrong. Simon wasn't really impulsive. But like I said, I would trust any of them with a decision this big."

"Thank you Mr. Seville. You may step down."

I walked back to my seat.

"Your honor we call Jeanette…" He was interrupted. He turned to the right to talk to some sort of assistant. "Your honor may we approach?"

The attorneys walked up to the bench and talked for a moment.

"Very well, you may proceed."

"We call Brittany Seville to the stand."

I was shocked. She wasn't supposed to be out of the hospital with her arm. She had been having problems with her arm healing, and they were concerned about her possibly getting an infection. But she was there to support him, no matter the risks.

The judge looked down at the witness stand, "Brittany, I understand that you need to get back to the hospital soon, so I've asked the attorneys to keep the questioning brief. If you need to leave, you can and we'll make other arrangements, okay?"

"Okay."

"Now Brittany, when did you first meet the defendant?"

"On one of the greatest days of my life. Me and my sisters met them about thirteen years ago, in a hotel."

"That's the same hotel Alvin proposed to you at, right?"

"Right."

"Now Brittany, I know this is going to be hard, but I want you to tell us about how you felt when you were kidnapped."

"Scared. Unbelievable scared. I was so sure that I was going to die. They wouldn't even feed me or give me something to drink. They kept me locked in a little room, and tried their hardest to torcher me and make me suffer in every way imaginable."

"What were you thinking about at the time?"

"Alvin."

"Not getting out or surviving? You weren't thinking about how thirst you were or how hungry you were?"

"I was thinking about how much I wanted to get out to see Alvin. I was thinking about how much I wanted to survive to marry Alvin. I was thinking about all of the times Alvin brought me something to drink when I was thirsty. And I was thinking about all of the times we went to dinner together."

"You love him, don't you?"

"Yes."

"What do you think would have happened if there never was a shooting?"

"I wouldn't be here to testify."

"How do you know that?"

"It didn't make sense. They were just going to let me go? The way they tortured me, it was about more than just a ransom. They hated me. They wanted to watch me suffer. They hated Alvin too. The only reason they brought me there in the first place, was so that they could see Alvin happy, before they killed us both."

"But they wouldn't have killed Alvin, would they?"

"No. They would have killed Simon. He was in Alvin's clothes."

"Are you glad he made that choice?"

"No."

"You just said you would have been killed. Why wouldn't you agree with that choice?"

"I would rather have died."

"Why?"

"None of my family deserves this. He doesn't deserve this. So yes, I wish I would have died that day, because all of my family has suffered too much for my life."

"That's a pretty noble attitude?"

"And I'm not a noble person. I've always been selfish. But the idea that he might go to prison because he chose to save me, is something that has and always will haunt me."


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38: Truth from the Liar**

**Alvin's POV**

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"I do."

The judge looked down at me. "Alvin, I want to remind you that since you were acquitted of the first degree murder charges and you have pled guilty to the crime of perjury, you do not have any Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination for this testimony."

"I understand."

The judge turned to the defense attorney. "You may precede, counselor."

"Thank you your honor. Alvin, please state your full name for the record."

"Alvin Seville."

"Alvin, I want to start by talking about your relationship with Brittany, okay?"

"That's a subject I'm always happy to talk about."

The attorney smiled, "Okay. How do you feel about her?"

"I might not have time to answer that question."

"You have hours if you like."

"Like I said, I might not have time."

He smiled again, "Well then just tell us the highlights about her."

"She makes me smile. You know we fight all the time. It's our thing."

The attorney interrupted me, "What on Earth does that mean?"

"We love to argue. It doesn't matter what it's about. That's why she makes me smile. She knows I was always the type of person to make a sarcastic comment that wasn't appropriate at the time, and with her, I can say whatever I like, and I get it right back at me. Neither of us hold grudges. We're the perfect couple."

The attorney giggled, "So you're perfect romance is based out of arguments and name-calling."

"Yup. It's a match made in heaven. I mean, Simon is smart and Jeanette is smart, so they work together, because they can go do smart things together. Theodore loves to cook and Eleanor loves to cook, and both of them love to eat, so they get to do that together. Brittany and I love to argue and call people names, so we do that together. It's our thing."

"Well I don't think too many of us understand that, but I can certainly respect that you feel close to her. What would you do if she wasn't here right now?"

"If she wasn't here right now? I don't even know. I'm not complete without her. It's like asking someone what they'd do without half of their body. You don't think about it. If it happens, you have to find a way to deal with it, but before it happens, you just never expect it to happen to you."

"Did the two of you become closer after the shooting?"

"Yes, when we were married we were closer, but the shooting had nothing to do with it. I would have married her no matter what."

"Let's change the subject. How do you feel about Simon?"

"He's my brother. He was there for me during the two hardest points of my life. When I thought I was going to lose Brittany, and when I thought I was going to go to prison."

"You love your family very much, don't you?"

"Absolutely."

"We've heard a lot about your family these past few days. It seems like your family has some sort of unbreakable bond."

"It's unbreakable, but it is malleable. That's a word, right?"

The attorney smiled, "Yes and it was used correctly if that makes you feel better. Continue."

"Well we saw it was, whatever I said before, well we saw that after the trial. There was a lot of confusion, and mistrust in my family for a while, but once things settled down a little, we came together again."

"It seems like anybody in your family would do anything for another member of your family."

"Yes."

"What about before the shooting. What would you have done in that type of a situation if it was Jeanette or Eleanor?"

"I would have shot him. They were just as much of family now as they ever were."

"Alvin, I think we're all curious about the same thing. Why did you lie in court when you were being tried for murder?"

"I had to."

"No you didn't. You could have told the truth from the beginning, but you made a choice not to. Explain why you made that decision."

I sighed and regretfully continued. "I had to protect Simon. He didn't understand the truth. When the shooting took place, he went into a state of shock, and repressed the memories of that night."

"So you were afraid that he would go back into that state of shock?"

"It was more than that."

"What else?"

"I also didn't want to see his life thrown away."

"But wasn't he the one that made that choice?"

"No. Fate made the choice for him. I wish I would have been in his position. I wish it happened like I said it did. I wish I was the one that killed someone that night, but I wasn't. Simon was forced in that situation. And he made the right choice when he chose to pull the trigger. He made the right choice when he killed that son of a bitch."

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><p><strong>AN: HOLY BLANK! I've been waiting to write that for 38 chapters. I can't wait to read the reviews on this one! Now I got to know, how many of you saw that one coming? So we know what Alvin was hiding, but we still don't know exactly what happened. There's only one way to find out the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That's to keep watching for updates! Please review!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39: His Wife**

**Jeanette's POV**

I sat in the back of the courtroom. I didn't know what I was going to do. They were going to call me to testify, and I still had no idea what I would say.

I was so happy that Brittany came in to testify the day before, because it prolonged the inevitable, but this time, nothing could prevent me from having to testify on Simon's behalf. I was going to have to tell the world how I felt about him, and I was so conflicted, I wasn't quite sure if that would help him or not.

As I sat there, I heard the words I had dreaded since I first heard what happened, "We call Jeanette Seville to the stand."

"Jeanette Seville, please approach the witness stand."

I slowly walked up to the small stand, petrified at what was going to come out of my mouth. It wasn't that I didn't love Simon, nothing could change that, but I was still so confused about exactly what happened that day.

"Ms. Seville, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"Y-yes."

"You may proceed."

"Thank you your honor. Please state your name for the record."

"Jeanette Seville."

"What is your relationship to the defendant?"

"He's my husband."

"Were you married before the shooting?"

"No."

"Were you engaged before the shooting?"

"No."

"Were you dating before the shooting?"

"No."

"Had you told him you loved him before the shooting?"

"No."

"Had he told you he loved you before the shooting?"

"No."

"Had you kissed before the shooting?"

"No."

"What was your relationship to him at that time?"

"We were best friends."

"Now Mrs. Seville, at what point did you find out about your husband's actual involvement in the shooting?"

"The same day that he did, when he was hospitalized for his stress-induced cardiomyopathy."

"So after the shooting, you trusted him enough to become romantically involved, correct?"

"Yes."

"And that's because you never doubted the story he had told you during Alvin's trial, right?"

"No, that isn't correct."

"Explain."

"He never told me what happened before he testified. He told me that he did something horrible, which turned out to be concealing evidence for Brittany, and never told me anything else."

"Were you afraid at what he had done when he told you that?"

"Very. I didn't know what he did or how bad it was, but I know that it was tearing him up inside."

"His brother Alvin, you trusted him though, right?"

"Not at all. I thought he was guilty of murder, and I thought he did it for no good reason. I was scared to death of him."

"Now Brittany, she was your sister, you trusted her when she told you to believe in Alvin, right?"

"Somewhat, but she doesn't have that great of judgment, especially when it comes to Alvin. She loves him too much to not trust him."

"So let me get this straight, you weren't in a romantic relationship before the shooting, and after the shooting, you had doubts in Simon, Alvin, and your own Sister, correct?"

"Yes."

"And yet you became romantically involved with Simon."

"Yes I did."

"Why?"

"Because I loved him."

"And you continued to trust all of them, even after the trajectory evidence became public knowledge?"

"No. I doubted all of them. I knew Alvin lied in court, and I was afraid Simon did too."

"Yet you continued to live with them?"

"Yes."

The attorney walked closer to me. "I guess I just don't understand your family very well, Jeanette. How is it after having so much doubt in your own family, you continued to support them and became even more involved with all three of them?"

I smiled at Simon, "I did doubt them. All of them. But I never stopped believing in them. I knew there was an explanation for what they did."

"How did you know this?"

"I know them too well. All of them. Simon is the type of person that would jump in front of a bullet to save a complete stranger. So is Alvin. Brittany's life was on the line, and while the evidence didn't support their story, I knew that whatever they did and whatever lies they told in court were somehow for Brittany's safety."

"Let me ask you something. What did you think a possible explanation was?"

"I don't know. I'm not a person to make up wild scenarios or fit the facts to what I wanted to believe happen."

"But you just said that you knew they were protecting Brittany, weren't you fitting the facts to fit what you wanted to believe?"

"No. I was fitting the facts to make sense with the family I had grown to know. I didn't know what Alvin and Simon did. I guess I thought maybe Alvin didn't see the gun and shot him anyway. But I knew if that was the case, it wasn't because Alvin or Simon went on a wild killing spree to get revenge for Brittany, it was because they knew the only way they could protect Brittany was to take the first shot, even if it meant that one of them would end up in prison."

"So you believe that they may have done something completely illegal, because they're best guess was that it would save Brittany?"

"I guess this is the way I always saw it. I always imagined it like they were at war. You know the other side has only one goal in mind, to hurt you. Is the best strategy to wait for them to fire or is it to fire first? It's to fire first. Even though they might change their mind about the war and they might be sending an army to exchange recipes, you know that the only realistic explanation is that they are going to attack, so as the general, you order your army to take the first shot."

"But how do you know when the other side only has one goal in mind?"

"In a war you know because it's what a war is. They didn't have that easy of reasoning. But they knew this person hated Alvin and Brittany. They knew that he kidnapped Brittany. They knew from the way she looked that she had been horribly abused. Even if it wasn't definitive, they knew Brittany's life was still in danger, so my husband risked his future to save her. And even though he will probably be going to prison for what he did, every time I get to hug my sister or Alvin gets to tell Brittany he loves her, it's because Simon put everything on the line for her. I will always be grateful to him for that."

"I have one last question for you Jeanette."

"Okay."

"Simon admitted to shooting him. He admitted to executing him. He admitted to fully intending to take his life. He admitted to getting a weapon before he went outside to make sure that he could use it if he needed to. The evidence may even be taken to the extreme and found to indicate that this may have been a cold-blooded murder. If all of that was really true, how would you feel today about Simon Seville?"

"I would love him no matter what, because I trust his judgment, and nothing he did or that he ever could do would ever change my love for him. It's unconditional love."

"Thank you Jeanette."

"Any cross-examination?"

"Briefly your honor. You said that even if it was a cold blooded murder you would love him. Why should we trust your testimony about the defendant's judgment that night?"

"It all depends on how you see those words."

"What do you mean?"

"A murder is intentional, premeditated taking of another life, right?"

"Right."

"So let's say that a person hated a man for some decisions he made about running a group. So at a meeting with a bunch of other members, he decided to kill that man. He spent years getting close to that man and building a relationship with him to get into a spot where he would be at a meeting like this. Then, when he was finally invited to one of these meetings, he brought a briefcase. In that briefcase was a bomb, which he knew would kill every person in that room. He put the bomb under the table with a detonator in it. Then he left the room and the bomb exploded, killing a number of people, except the man that he wanted to kill in the first place. Would that be a cold-blooded murder?"

"I would say so, what is your point?"

"That happened on July 20, 1944. It was an attempt on Adolf Hitler's life during World War II. But like I said, sometimes there is a reason for a cold-blooded murder, even when your life isn't in danger."

A smile grew on Simon's face. "No more questions your honor."

The judge looked down with a slight grin on his face, "You may step down Jeanette."


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40: For All Our Effort**

**Alvin's POV**

I was so nervous. I didn't know what was going to happen to Simon.

The hardest part of this whole ordeal was that Brittany was still in the hospital. Even though my wounds were much worse, hers wound was having trouble healing which put her at risk for an infection. Through all of this, I still had to worry that I might lose Brittany. Plus she couldn't be there to hold my hand or kiss me as I waited to find out my brother's fate.

Jeanette was in an even worse spot. Simon was only a few feet away from us, but she couldn't stand by his side. This was one of the hardest moments in Simon and Jeanette's life, but they couldn't be together, for what might be the last moments they ever would be together.

As we sat there waiting for the judge to return, I suddenly felt a firm grasp on my hand. "Alvin?"

I turned my head, "Yes Jeanette?"

"I'm scared."

"I know Jean. I am too."

She put her head on my shoulder, "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know. I can't stand the thought that he might not ever be coming home again. I just don't know. I can't tell you what's going to happen."

I leaned my head next to hers, and for a brief moment, we were able to comfort each other, since the people we loved couldn't comfort either of us.

The judge sat down. "Please be seated."

Everybody sat down waiting to hear what he had to say.

"This is a difficult case. I don't know what many people would have done in the situation you were put in Simon, but we aren't here to see what others would have done, we are here to determine how much of a risk you are to society, and what level of punishment is appropriate for you.

I cannot say that I agree with the state in this case. I've carefully considered their allegation that the mitigating factors presented by the defense are inclusive of the reduction in charge from first degree murder to voluntary manslaughter, but I do not believe that is the case here.

I agree with the defense that much of the evidence presented goes beyond what is necessary for a reduction in charge, and shows further mitigation. I feel that we have a case that is considered voluntary manslaughter because it is a mistaken or unjustified exercise in self-defense, but I don't believe that adequately considers all of the evidence.

That being said, I cannot fully agree with the defense either. A lot has been said to show that Simon's family loves and trusts him. There is certainly a lot of evidence to show that this was an unusual occurrence. However, I cannot find anything that firmly indicates that Simon would not make the same choice again, and that is why he is still a risk to society.

Therefore, I cannot agree with either the state's recommendation of imposing the maximum penalties for the aforementioned charges, nor can I agree that a suspended sentence is appropriate.

Nevertheless, I have carefully considered the evidence, and I believe I have an appropriate sentence for the facts of this case. Simon Seville, I am ready to pronounce sentence. Please rise."

Simon slowly rose from his chair, glancing back at us and smiling before facing the judge.

"Simon, on the charge of possession of an unregistered firearm, you are sentenced to one year in a state prison. On the charge of concealing a weapon without a permit, you are sentenced to one year in a state prison. On the charge of minor in possession of a firearm, you are sentenced to one year in a state prison. On the charge of theft of a firearm, you are sentenced to two years in a state prison. On the charge of discharging a firearm, you are sentenced to two years in a state prison. On the charge of public endangerment, you are sentenced to five years in a state prison. On the charge of purchasing an illegal firearm, you are sentenced to five years in a state prison. On the charge of theft of a motor vehicle while in possession of a firearm, you are sentenced to ten years in a state prison. On the charge of criminal fraud in the first degree, you are sentenced to fifteen years in a state prison. And on the charge of voluntary manslaughter, with a mandatory enhancement for using a firearm, you are sentenced to twenty years in a state prison."

A cold silence struck the room as the judge finished reading the long list of charges. I held Jeanette close, waiting for the judge to give us the news we had really been waiting to hear.

"That being said, we have a much larger question than what your sentences are. After careful consultation of the evidence and the laws of this state, based on the mitigating factors and the fact that Simon Seville has had a spotless record prior to these events, I have decided that the sentence will be run concurrently."

Jeanette smiled with excitement at what that meant for Simon.

"Simon, this means that all of your sentences will run at the same time, so you will serve a total of twenty years for all of the above crimes, with eligibility for parole after ten years. It is so ordered, this court is adjourned."

As Simon was taken past us in handcuffs, we were allowed a brief moment with him.

The two of us walked towards Simon. "Simon, I'm so…"

"I'm happy Alvin. I got much less than I deserved."

Jeanette started to cry. "That isn't true Simon. I still don't understand…"

"Jeanette, it's over. I made that choice, and I'm glad I did."

"But…"

"No buts Jean. I love you, but I have to be punished for what I did. I wouldn't want to encourage others to take the law into their own hands like I did. I don't want to be a symbol for others like me."

I hugged Simon, "Simon, I'm going to miss you so much."

"I know Alvin. I'll miss you too."

Simon turned away from me and kissed Jeanette. He was slowly pulled away by the bailiff after a few moments. "I'll see you in ten to twenty Jean. And I'll still love you then, just as much as I do now. I will always love you."

Jeanette turned towards me, "What do we do now Alvin?"

I thought for a moment. "Jean, there's only one thing we can do to help Simon now. It's a trick I learned a while ago."

"What?"

"Come with me."

The two of us walked outside of the courtroom, towards the tens of thousands of protesters outside. The district attorney was making a statement to the mob about the sentence. The crowd screamed that it wasn't high enough. That's when I snapped. That's when I decided to do what they did to me.

I walked to the microphone. At first one of the police officers pulled me away, but the district attorney told them to let me speak.

The crowd booed at me, and yelled hateful things about my family, but I refused to let them bother me, I was going to say what I wanted.

I cleared my throat. "When I was tried for this murder, and I was released, incriminating evidence was revealed about me, which led to much of the hatred you all are feeling today. Yet, it was later found, that that evidence did not say what the state led you to believe."

The crowd slowly became silent.

"I've decided, that I am going to do the same thing that they did to me. I'm going to tell you what they didn't. My brother made a really stupid mistake, but it wasn't when he pulled the trigger. His mistake took place a few weeks ago, when he pled guilty to those crimes. Many of you don't know this, but you still to this date have not heard the whole story. All of you know that. Simon pled guilty for one reason, and one reason alone, guilt. He felt so horrible for what he did, that he pled guilty to crimes he would have been found not guilty of in front of a jury. I am going to tell the world what that evidence is. I will make it my life goal to make sure that every single person in this world knows that my brother does not deserve to be behind bars. It is now my life mission to get my brother where he belongs. At home, in his wife's arms. You know that there are a number of things my brother was found guilty of, but there is a law called the necessity defense. It allows you to do certain illegal things, in order to prevent a greater harm. That harm was the death of an innocent person, my wife. Everything he did during that time was to save her life, and the evidence clearly shows that he was acting within his legal rights, and even though Simon refused to let this evidence out, I will do it for him. And maybe, if we work together, we can get my brother justice, even if it isn't what he wants."

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><p><strong>AN: Wow that was a huge list of charges! Are you as curious as I am about where the heck some of those charges came from? Armed theft of a motor vehicle? Stealing a firearm? Seriously Simon, what the heck were you doing? Well I guess we'll find out… that is if you watch for updates! Please review!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41: The Mob Grows**

A/N: Well, hopefully the site will stay working long enough for me to finish the story! You aren't going to like what I am about to tell you… there will only be two more updates. That's it. The story is really almost over. I know, I can't believe it either.

Well I hope you enjoy these two chapters! Please leave a review!

**Jeanette's POV**

Every day it grew. Thousands of people gathered around every single day shouting and screaming. I walked up to Alvin. He was so wonderful to me in the weeks after Simon was arrested. Brittany was getting worse every day, so it was good for both of us to be together.

I walked towards him, "Alvin, I'm scared."

"It's okay to be Jeanette. There are a lot of people out there."

"I know. So are you ready?"

"Absolutely Jeanette."

The two of us walked outside, being grabbed at and shouted at by the mob.

Alvin and I walked past them, and went in front of the group.

As they saw Alvin approach the podium, they quieted down.

We looked at the crowd.

"I see many familiar faces out there today. Some of you have threatened me and my family. Some of you have followed us around since I was first arrested." Alvin smiled, "But today we are here together, to save my brother."

The crowd began their usual chant, "Free Simon! Free Simon! Free Simon!"

Alvin held up his hands and they quieted down. "All of you have been aware of what is happening over the country. It's a call for changes to our country. Not to the legal system, not to the law, but to the citizens. A terrible thing can happen to a person when they make a tough decision. It's called guilt. It drove my wife to take a plea deal for something she did in self-defense. And it caused my brother to go to prison for several crimes that were committed out of necessity. This movement is a call to the people of this nation to not fall into guilt anymore!"

The crowd continued their chant, "Free Simon! Free Simon! Free Simon!"

I walked to the podium and they quieted down again. "We are here today, for my husband, Simon Seville. You've all heard the evidence that he didn't bring up at sentencing. You've all heard the truth of what happened that night, but even though it is clear he should not be in prison, he remains there today. And he may end up being there for the next twenty years. I want to make it clear that only two people are to blame for where Simon is today. It isn't the district attorney. It isn't the judge on the case. The first person to blame is Simon. He made a mistake. Not when he pulled the trigger and not for anything that he decided to do that night. His mistake was when he pled guilty to this crime. The second man responsible is the man who kidnapped my sister. He put Simon in that situation. Without him, none of this would have happened. We'll never be able to stop those people from doing horrible things, but maybe together, we can prevent innocent people from sealing their own fate. Help me to save the Simon Seville's of this world. Help me to keep innocent people out of our nation's prisons."

I stepped back and listened to their chant and stood next to Alvin. He whispered in my ear, "Jeanette, we'll get him out."

"I hope so Alvin. But there isn't much we can do, if he won't help himself."

"We'll find something Jeanette. He's my brother, and I'm not going to let him rot in prison."

I turned and hugged Alvin. "Thank you. He's lucky to have you as a brother."

We turned and looked at the crowd. The entire area was blocked off. Thousands stood chanting his name together. It wasn't going to be easy, but we were all determined to get Simon out of that cell. I still had a hard time believing how much support we were able to get from the same people that at one time were ruining our lives. It just goes to show that no matter how it felt at the time, they didn't want revenge, they wanted justice.

Alvin and I walked away and entered the building. We were quickly escorted to where we needed to be. This was something everybody in the world knew about. I was so excited to have this opportunity. We had been trying for something like this since the day Simon went to prison, but he had refused before. Now we were finally going to get our chance.

"Are you two ready?" The man asked.

I smiled, "Absolutely."

We were brought to a small room and sat down waiting for our meeting.

A few moments later, the door opened. "Hello."

I turned around, "Simon. I've been waiting to visit you for weeks."

"I know Jeanette. I didn't want you to before. I didn't want you to see me like this."

He sat down at the small metal table across from us, and the guard left us alone to speak.

Alvin held out his hand and grabbed Simon's. "How's it going Si?"

"Good, considering…"

Alvin smiled, "I know. You know Simon, you look good in orange."

Simon smiled, "Funny Alvin."

"Simon, you know what's going on, right?"

Simon smiled, "Of course I do Alvin. I might be in prison, but I still hear some things."

I looked at Simon in the eyes, and he pulled his head down. "Simon, you have to work with us if we're going to…"

"Jean, I love you, but I don't want to be out there anymore. I don't want to go unpunished for what I did."

Alvin reached in his wallet. "Simon, take this."

"What is it?"

"Take it."

Simon reached his hand out and took something from Alvin. As he held it out he saw what it was. "Why?"

"I want you to have a picture of the person you saved. I want you to be able to look at that picture and know what separates you from the others in this place. You aren't a murderer, you are a hero."

Alvin stood up and walked towards the door.

Simon looked towards him, "You're leaving?"

"You need to talk to Jeanette. You two need to be together alone."

It was just us. The first time we had been alone together since he was arrested.

"Jean, you know I love you, right?"

"I know Simon. And I will always love you."

"I won't do it."

"Simon, we're not going to let you ruin your life more than you already have. We will not stop until you are out there with us. No matter how long it takes."

Simon held out his hand and I grabbed on. "Jean, you will give up eventually. There is nothing that will make me try to get out of here, and you can't get me out if I won't cooperate."

"We don't have a lot of time Simon, and there's something else you need to know. I think it may give you a reason to fight for yourself."

"What is it?"

"A reason."

"A reason for what?"

I smiled at him, "A reason to want to leave."


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42: Life**

**Alvin's POV**

Jeanette and I were sitting in the car outside the prison.

I sat up in my seat, "I can't believe him."

"Alvin, stop…"

"No Jeanette. I won't. I know he's your husband and you love him, but he's taking this too far."

"I agree, but he has to work it out on his own."

"For how long? Oh right, twenty years." We sat there in silence for a moment. "I'm sorry Jeanette."

"It's okay. We're both upset. You've done more for Simon than anybody could've hoped for, and everything will be for nothing if he won't file an appeal."

As we sat there for a moment, my cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Mr. Seville?"

"Yes? Who's calling?"

"This is the hospital where your wife is at. Brittany's doctor asked us to call you and have you come to the hospital as soon as possible."

"Is she okay?"

"You need to get here soon."

I shut the phone and slammed on the gas.

Jeanette flopped back in her chair. "What is it Alvin?"

"It's Brittany. Something's wrong with her."

My heart was racing as I pulled up to the hospital. I didn't even bother parking it. I just drove up to the front of the hospital and shot out of the car. We ran in straight to Brittany's room

Then we saw that she wasn't there. I broke down in tears. "Where the hell I she?"

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, I expected it to be Jeanette, but it wasn't. I turned around.

"Mr. Seville?"

"Yes?"

"I'm your wife's doctor."

"What's happening?"

"You know we've been monitoring the injury because of the unusual length of time she has taken to heal."

"Yes."

"Your wife has developed an extremely severe infection from her injury."

I held Jeanette's hand, "Is she going to be okay?"

"We don't know yet, Alvin."

I looked at him, "Where is she?"

"We had to move her to intensive care."

Jeanette cleared her throat, "Can we see her?"

"Yes."

He led us to her new room, and we walked in. I looked at Brittany. She was so pale and weak, "Brittany?"

"Alvin? Is that you?"

Her voice sounded so weak that it brought me to tears, "Yes."

"I'm going to die Alvin."

"Don't say that Brittany."

"It's okay Alvin, I don't mind."

My knees weakened as I sat next to the bed. I grabbed onto Brittany's hand and held on as tightly as I could. "Brittany I love you so much. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do."

I laid my head on her bed and extended my arm over her. As I cuddled my face next to hers, I wondered if our lives would ever be whole. The two of us were shot on the day of our wedding. I was injured so badly I wasn't expected to make it, but she was up and around in a few days. But by the time I healed, she was getting worse. We never had a chance to just be together.

I kissed the side of her face gently. "You're so beautiful Brittany."

"Thank you Alvin, but I know I look like hell."

"No Brittany, you're gorgeous. You always are."

"I love you Alvin."

"I love you Brittany."

"How're you doing?"

I smiled, "What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about Simon."

"He still won't do anything to help himself."

"I can't believe he still won't do anything."

"I know Brittany."

"Alvin?"

"What is it dear?"

"Can you stay with me for a while? I don't think I'm going to have another chance."

I kissed her again, "Brittany, you aren't going anywhere. But neither am I. I'll stay by your side every moment of every day until you are out of here."

"Thank you Alvin."

I wiped the tears from my face and noticed Jeanette pushed into a corner of the room. "Jeanette come over here."

"Jeanette's here?"

"Yes." I answered.

Jeanette bent down to Brittany, "Hi Britt."

"Hi Jean. I want to ask you a favor."

"Anything sis."

"Will you watch Alvin for me when I die?"

Jeanette held her other hand. "Alvin's right Brittany. You aren't going anywhere."

"We don't know that," she added, "I want you to promise me."

"Okay Brittany," Jeanette began to cry, "I promise."

"Thank you."

As we sat next to her holding her hand, she became weaker and weaker. Her voice became quieter, until she couldn't speak. Then as we talked to her, her eyes slowly shut, and her head gently fell to the side.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Brittany! No! So what's going to happen next? What was that news Jeanette had? You know what I'm going to tell you! KEEP WATCHING FOR UPDATES! Please review!**


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43: Prison Life**

A/N: To answer a question, I didn't say there were only two chapters left, there are only two updates left. So there will be one more update with two more chapters posted tomorrow. Just FYI. I'm really going to miss this story, but I know all of you will be happy to finally know what the heck is going on. Please enjoy and don't forget to review!

**Simon's POV**

Something happened to me in prison that I never would possibly have thought could have happened to me. I was actually getting used to that life. Don't get me wrong, I hated every moment I was in there, but somehow I was adjusting to life behind bars.

At first, life wasn't easy at all. My personality just didn't fit in with the other inmates. I've always been a little sarcastic with people. Out there, it was fine. But in here, the wrong comment to the wrong person could get me killed. I guess I changed a lot in prison.

The bright side of everything was the guards. Because of the media attention Alvin got on my case, the guards watched over me a little more. Sure it was because the warden was afraid of a fat lawsuit if something happened to me, but I didn't care. All I knew is that every time my case got on the news, the guards paid a little more attention to making sure I didn't get my head smashed in.

The other bright side of that was my cellmate. They put me with someone a little more tame that they knew wouldn't push me around. Actually, he was kind of like me, or at least my perception of myself from that time in my life.

He was also in prison for murder. Two counts of murder as a matter of fact. His wife was killed in a car accident. It was a group of teenagers that were drunk. He lied, but she didn't. After the funeral, he saw the three of them getting into a car, completely drunk. They were out on bail. He confronted them about it, and one of them pulled out a gun. He wrestled the gun out of his hand, and shot the man. The other two started to get in the car and drive off, and he shot them both. That was his mistake; he took it too far, because of his love for his wife. And he pled guilty to two counts of murder.

Like I said, I kind of saw myself in him. He was a successful businessman before it all happened, but because he took his love too far, he lost the rest of his future.

One of the easy things for me was the structure of it all. Everything was timed and regulated, we had so much time for a shower and so much time for recreation… actually I wish everybody's lives were as well structured as mine was in there. We did have a small amount of time every day for more casual recreation like watching the news on television or playing board games.

John, my cellmate and I always used this time the same way. We would sit down and play a few games of chess, while watching the news to hear about my case. I was on the news every day, so we found it a little entertaining to see the world trying to get me out of prison when I was perfectly content to stay in my cell.

But things changed for me. Over time, I kept staring at that picture and thinking about that night. The more I watched the news, the more I realized that I didn't belong there. Finally, I did what my family had been begging me to do since I was first put in there, I decided it was time to try and get out.

"Hey John, ready to get beaten in another game of chess?"

He smiled at me, "I'm whites."

"It won't help you, but okay."

We sat down and began to play while watching the news. A few moments later a guard came in. "Everybody up, we're going back to the cells!"

We sighed and started to stand. Things like this happened every once in a while. Probably there was a fight or a stabbing, maybe a prison inspection, something that occupied the guards time so they couldn't have us out in the open.

He walked over to the television and put his hand towards the power button.

"Stop!"

I turned around shocked at the voice I heard.

"The two of them stay here."

"But…"

"Are you questioning me?"

"No."

"Very good. Get everybody else out of here."

"Yes sir."

The warden sat down at our table next to us. It was very unusual and a little intimidating.

He turned up the volume on the television, "I think you two might be interested in this."

I listened to the television,

"The governor is supposed to be making a statement in the next few minutes on the Simon Seville case, we're waiting for him to arrive at the podium for his speech."

The anchor turned to another person, "What do you think the governor is going to be speaking about?"

"Well, the Seville case is extremely high profile. It could possibly be an announcement of some kind on his office's position in the case or it could just be a statement about the subject matter of prisoners innocent of the crimes they were convicted of in general. There's really no way to…"

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to stop you, the governor has just approached the podium."

"Good evening everybody, and thank you for coming today.

Two days ago, my office received a letter. It was sent by Simon Seville from his prison cell. I'm here today to address Simon, and have asked that he be permitted to hear this newscast, so that I can personally address his letter.

Simon, I am not here to encourage people to commit crimes. Our state has a very low tolerance for vigilantes. I want to make it perfectly clear, that at no time, will my state enter a period where we encourage people to ignore the laws that have been created to protect this society, and then commit crimes in the name of the law.

There has been a lot of talk about what it means to be acting in necessity. When you act in necessity, you are allowed to break certain laws, in order to prevent a larger harm from being broken. So we have to ask ourselves, with the evidence available in a case like Simon Seville's, is it truly acting in necessity?

I cannot agree that what Simon Seville did was legal. I cannot agree that Simon Seville did not commit multiple crimes that day. What I can agree with many people on, is that this state will not have a tolerance for violent crime.

I don't know if Simon was or was not acting in self-defense that night. I cannot tell you if his other crimes were committed out of necessity. I cannot say this because Simon Seville pled guilty to these crimes and did not assert these affirmative defenses. The justice system has found Simon Seville to be guilty of those crimes, and it is not within my power to ignore the decision made in those courts. If Simon Seville or any other person wants the court to reverse its decision and find him to be not guilty of the crimes, he will have to do it by filing an appeal.

With that being said, I am here today to make an announcement. Immediately following this statement, Simon Seville is to be pardoned for his crimes. As you know, a pardon does not mean he has been found not guilty of the crimes, but it forgives crimes that have been admitted to. With that, in approximately two hours, Simon Seville is to be released from the custody of the state, and return to his family where he belongs. Thank you."

The governor walked away from the podium, and I sat with John at our table, in a state of shock. I was going home to be with my family.

"C-Congratulations, Simon."

"Thank you. Thank you John."

The warden stood up, "Simon, I think you need to come with me now."

Still shocked by the news, I slowly realized what was happening and followed the warden. "Where are we going?"

"I'm going to get you ready to leave."

"O-Okay"

We reached a small room and he opened the door. "Here we are."

I was confused, "Is this where prisoners go when they're released?"

"No. This is where I take people that should never have been in here when they are finally given justice. These are my private quarters."

"Why are we here?"

"There's a bath tub in there, you can take a nice warm bath in private and get cleaned up. There's paper in the desk. I figured you might want to jot down some things to say to the press."

"Thank you."

"It's the least I can do. If I would have had the choice, this would have been your prison cell."

I smiled, "Do you know where…"

"Here." He handed me exactly what I wanted, my blue shirt. "You didn't think I was going to send you out in a jumpsuit, did you? You only have a couple hours, I'll leave you alone to get ready."

As he left, I couldn't believe it. For the first time since I was in here, I was in private. It was at that moment, I remembered the life I missed so much. The life I would be getting back.

When the hours past, he knocked on the door and came in. "Are you ready?"

"I guess so." I answered, "But I am nervous."

"It's a big day Simon."

I cleared my throat nervously, "Are there many people outside?"

"Simon, you have no idea…"

The two of us walked out of the prison together. As I was finally able to see outside, I saw it. Thousands of people stood around outside the prison screaming. A small podium stood at the front of the group by the exit to the prison. Huddled around the prison were the three people I had wanted to see more than anything. I smiled and walked over to my family. I kissed Jeanette and the crowd cheered. Then I turned to Alvin and Brittany and smiled.

I walked up to Alvin and gave him a hug. "I didn't even know Brittany was out of the hospital."

Jeanette hugged me from behind, "She was just released yesterday."

I smiled and walked towards the podium. Jeanette left her arm around me as I talked, and Alvin just continued to stand with his arms around Brittany. I looked at the crowd completely stunned and unable to speak. Finally, I began my statement.

I let a smile grow on my face as I looked at thousands of reporters, anxiously awaiting to hear from me. I leaned towards the microphone. "No comment." I began to laugh as did the crowd. They knew that this was a time I was perfectly happy to make a statement to them.

"I owe something to all of you. You've heard a ton of different evidence from different people about what exactly happened before the shooting. When I thought about what I wanted to tell you today, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to say. But I think that for once, I'm going to stand here and tell you the whole story from beginning to end, of what exactly happened. And then of course I will take questions afterwards."

A tear fell down the side of my face as I looked back at my family. "Well…" I said into the microphone, "I guess it's time to start my story."


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44: Getting Involved**

**Simon's POV**

"I've been asked a lot by people, what happened that night. I've never really answered that question, but I can't answer that specific question. There was so much more to what happened than what occurred in the minutes or hours before the shooting. Everything started weeks before the shooting. That's where the story really begins. It was at another concert of ours. One of our big group concerts where we sang with the Chipettes. That was when I became involved, and that is the day that I regret most of all. Even more than when I pulled the trigger.

Benjamin. That was the name of the man I killed. I was talking to him after my concert. Well, really he was talking to me. Anyway, that's where the story begins…"

_-Flashback-_

_It was a few days after Alvin prosed to Brittany. I was happy for the two of them, but they had a way of taking things just a bit too far._

_At our concerts with the Chipettes, we do a few songs alone, they do a few songs alone, and we do some things together. It's always worked out for us. Well, Alvin and Brittany decided to make a few changes before the concert, they just didn't remember to let anybody else know._

"_I can't believe you Alvin!" I screamed yelling at my brother as I walked out of the concert, "How the hell could you do something so damn selfish!"_

_Alvin ignored me and just kept walking._

_I swore quietly to myself, "That damn bastard!" Then I realized who was next to me. "Listen Ben I'm not doing it, so please stop it."_

"_But Simon, I'm you're…"_

"_Please Ben, just leave me alone. I've sent you free passes, I've sent you autographs, but I'm not going to make an appearance for your club, I can't."_

"_Alvin does it all the time for his clubs."_

_I laughed, "So you want me to be more like Alvin now?"_

"_Oh God no!" He started to chuckle, "But why can't you do a quick song for us?"_

"_Even if I wanted to, your group couldn't afford the appearance."_

"_Couldn't you…"_

"_No. It's in my contract. Any group wanting us for an appearance, even just one of us, has to pay a $200,000 fee. Plus, they require you to rent a concert hall or stadium for the performance. And that doesn't include the royalties on the cover songs, the fees for the band, it's just too much."_

"_How much is it total?"_

"_Well, the last time Alvin did a private concert for a club, they paid almost half a million for everything, but his group had thousands of members and a large budget, yours just isn't that big."_

_He sighed, "Look, I'll talk to my manager about getting you guys a private section for one of our concerts in the front and maybe we can do a backstage thing for you guys, but a private concert just isn't happening."_

"_Okay." He looked at his shoes in disappointment, "I'm sorry about what Alvin did to you."_

"_Thanks. I can't believe he took my favorite song and made it into a duet without even telling us. Theo and I had to sit back and stare at them like a couple of idiots. Sometimes I just wish I didn't have to deal with the two of them anymore."_

_-End of Flashback-_

"That was my mistake. He took that comment too literally. He thought I was asking him a favor, actually asking him to get rid of my siblings. I thought he was just a nice person, I had no idea that he was such an evil person. He took the money that his club raised to get a private concert and hired a couple of goons to kidnap Brittany. He was the one that told them to torture her.

What many of you didn't know until recently was that it wasn't Alvin that told me about Brittany… it was him."

_He called me the same day Alvin found the clothes. He told me that he had Brittany and he was going to take them out of the picture for me. I pleaded with him to let her go, but he wouldn't listen to me. That's when I asked him what he wanted, he hung up._

_When Alvin called the number, they told him about the ransom. At first I thought this might have been some sick twisted way to get money to hire me for a concert. That's when I suggested the concert to Alvin to raise the money. We didn't have a choice. Of course I knew it was fraud and that I was taking money from people, but it was the only way to get the money._

_But that wasn't the only time I heard from him. He called me a bunch of times. He never let me talk, but he always acted like he was doing this for me._

_The day before the concert, I got a call._

"_Guess what Simon? It's all set. Everything! You're going to get what you wanted and I'm finally going to get you to do that concert! Isn't it perfect?"_

"_Ben…"_

"_I know. I'm so excited about tomorrow. So when can we do the concert? I mean I still don't have the money but I know I'll have it together…"_

"_You need to stop…"_

"_Stop what? This is for us, Simon! I'm your biggest fan in the world, and I just want you to be happy. You were right, he is a bastard. And she's a narcissistic little whore who doesn't deserve to know you. I'm taking care of everything for you Simon. Don't worry, nothing will go wrong."_

_He hung up the phone. Whenever he called, I couldn't help but cry. I tried to call him sometimes, to see if I could find out where she was, but he never answered, and when I did talk to him, he would just keep telling me how I didn't have to thank him and how this was all for the best. I was so scared._

_I tried to find him. I looked so hard. I went to every one of the group's homes and every place I knew they could be. I talked to the members and none of them had seen Ben. I just didn't know where they were hiding her. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find her._

_I was nervous that he was going to take Alvin too. He kept saying 'them' when he talked. So I tried to get him protection. I didn't know where to get a gun. I was under aged and so was Alvin. It wasn't like I had a lot of criminal ties._

_I asked around. I found out a kid from school had a gun. I didn't really want to know how he got it, but I had to ask. He wouldn't tell me. I found out that he kept it in his locker at school. The idea that someone had a gun at school scared me to death, but I was so glad it was there. I stole it. I stole it so that Alvin could have protection._

_I gave it to Alvin and at first he resisted, but he knew it was for the best. He started to keep it with him._

_Then came the day of the concert…_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: What? Did you think I was going to tell you the whole story now? What incentive would you have to return tomorrow for the last chapters if I didn't have another cliffhanger? Anyways, tomorrow is the last chapters of the story. Actually, they may go up late tonight if I get them done. Just watch tomorrow for updates and please review!**


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45: That Night**

A/N: I'm in tears writing this, because this story is actually over… I can't believe it. It's been a lot of fun… Please review and please read my other stories!

**Simon's POV**

_So like I said, then it was the day of the concert. Everything really started right before the concert started. I got a call from Ben._

"_Hello?"_

"_Hi Simon!"_

"_Now Ben we need to talk…"_

"_Stop worrying so much, they'll never see it coming."_

"_Ben? What are you…"_

"_Just don't get involved Simon. I don't want you to get arrested for this."_

"_Ben, please…"_

"_You don't have to thank me Simon, after this, those two ungrateful, untalented bastards will be out of your life forever."_

"_My God, will you please listen to me?"_

"_Sorry Simon, can't now, I have to get everything set for today!"_

"_But..."_

"_Bye!"_

_He hung up the phone. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't let Alvin meet with him. I knew what he was planning to do to the two of them, and I had to find a way to stop him. I would have done anything to end this whole situation peacefully, but Ben just wasn't listening, so I was running out of options._

"_Alvin?"_

_Alvin began to walk towards me, "What is it Simon, I'm kind of busy with the money."_

_A tear fell down my face, "Alvin, he's going to meet you today, right?"_

"_Right. He said to go behind the concert hall after the concert is over and wait."_

_I began to think, "That's pretty late at night, and it's dark back there."_

"_He probably doesn't want me to see who he is."_

_Thoughts raced through my mind as I desperately tried to think of a way to save the two of them. I couldn't let Alvin know who it was. I just felt so guilty about the whole thing. I didn't care what it meant for me, I had to be the only one in danger. "Alvin, you aren't going to meet him."_

"_What the hell are you talking about?"_

"_I am."_

"_He specifically said to make sure that I was the only one out there. What are you trying to do? Get Brittany killed?"_

"_No. I'm trying to save her. I can't explain, but I will eventually. We'll switch shirts and I'll wait outside for her. I just don't want you to be in danger."_

"_No Simon. It isn't happening."_

_I tried to convince him a few more times, but he wouldn't listen. He was stubborn and he was the only person that was going to save Brittany. I wasn't sure exactly what I could do, but I knew I had to be the one in danger._

_After the concert was finished, Alvin's phone rang. Like we said in court, it was Brittany and she gave us the address of the home where they were keeping her. That was when I finally had an opportunity to get Alvin to agree with me._

"_Alvin, give me your shirt."_

"_We talked about this…" I cut Alvin off._

"_Damn it Alvin, give me your shirt so you can go save Brittany."_

_Alvin thought for a moment, "Okay, but take my gun too. You might need it."_

_I didn't want the gun. It wasn't that I didn't want to protect Brittany, it was that I wanted Alvin to have it so he wouldn't be in any danger. "But Alvin…"_

"_Here… Just take it."_

"_Fine." I took the gun from him, "But you better not confront anybody without it. If there's any sign that anybody at all is in that house, don't go in, even if it's for Brittany."_

"_You have my word Simon."_

_I hugged my brother and pulled away, "Now go get Brittany."_

_He ran off, but I of course knew the truth. There was no way that Brittany would still be there by the time Alvin got to the house._

_Suddenly Alvin's phone rang. It was Ben's number. I answered it, nervous that he'd recognize my voice, but quickly realized that he didn't intend to call me._

"_You little bitch!" Ben screamed, "You killed them! Do you have any fucking idea what I'm going to do you?"_

_I heard a loud slap._

"_I wish you weren't unconscious. I want you to feel the pain! Well you better be awake by the time we get there so that you can watch me kill that piece of shit. Then you'll get to watch me kill you. In a couple of hours, both of you will be out of mine and Simon's life for good."_

_The phone shut off. I couldn't let anybody find out what Brittany did. I knew Alvin would take the blame for the two deaths, and I just couldn't live with that, so I drove to the house._

_My car was with the valet and I didn't have a lot of time to get there. When I saw a car with the keys in the ignition, I knew I didn't have a choice, so I stole it. I drove as fast as I could to the house and cleaned up the scene. Then I drove back and went to wait for Ben._

_A minute or so later I saw him coming up. I tilted my head so he wouldn't recognize me._

_He was carrying Brittany. She was covered in bruises and blood, and they still hadn't given her clothes._

"_You have the money, Alvin?"_

_I shook my head and tossed a bag of money towards him. He walked over and handed Brittany to me._

"_Well, it seems to be here. I'm going to put the money in my car, but you better not try and run. We aren't done yet."_

_When he turned around, I kissed Brittany on the cheek, and set her down on the ground. Then I pulled out my gun. I knew what he still hadn't done, and I couldn't wait. I was just going to wait until I saw the gun, and then I would fire._

_Then I heard Alvin scream to run. I thought he was talking to me. I didn't know what was going on. I figured he saw Ben pulling out a gun. So I fired my gun twice at Benjamin's back. He fell to the ground. I ran towards the body hoping he was still alive. He was. Alvin walked over and I saw Benjamin's hand. He had the gun in his hand. As I got close to Ben, he slowly lifted it up towards Alvin._

_I knew he recognized his voice. If I would have had more time, I would have kicked him or did something to get the gun away, but I didn't so I pointed the gun at his head._

_Alvin screamed at me, "No! Don't do it! It's over!"_

_He didn't see Ben's gun. I knew the only way to save Alvin was to kill Ben. So I pulled the trigger. I don't know why or how but for some reason I just kept firing. I couldn't control it. All of the hatred, anguish, anger, and tears were pouring through my hands._

_Alvin stood next to me and stared at Benjamin's motionless body. "Simon why? He was still alive?"_

_Then he saw the gun in Ben's hand. "I did it for you Alvin. He was going to shoot you."_

_A moment later everything really hit me. I realized what I had just done. I realized that a life was gone because of something that I did. The gun fell from my hands and I curled up in a ball, appalled at the choice I had made._

_I spent the next week in the hospital. I spent day and night, crying over what I did. Then one day the doctor walked into my room, and saw that I was completely normal. He went to get Alvin._

_When Alvin walked in my room, he sat next to me and put his arm around me. "Are you okay Simon?"_

"_Of course, I'm just waiting to hear how Brittany is."_

"_She just came out of her coma."_

"_She was in a coma?"_

"_Yes, Simon."_

"_Oh. Are they going to arrest you?"_

_Alvin looked towards me, "For what?"_

"_For killing Ben."_

"_Why would they…"_

"_It's okay Alvin, I'll support you. I know you didn't have a choice."_

_A tear fell down his face as he realized that I had no idea what happened. "Thank you Simon. I could use your support… after what I did."_


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46: For Brittany**

**Simon's POV**

"And that's how Alvin ended up taking the blame for his death. Now I'll take any questions you have."

The reporters all shot up their hands and started to yell, and I pointed at a woman from the first row. "Mr. Seville, do you regret shooting him?"

"Absolutely not. I regret a lot of things I did before that, but I don't regret killing him. I wish I wouldn't have been in that situation, but I was."

"What will you do now that you're out of prison?"

I hugged Jeanette, "I'm going to spend time with my family. My hope is that now that this is all over, I can go to college and start a normal life for myself."

I pointed to the next reporter. "Do you regret not trying to get out of prison sooner?"

"I don't know. You know I missed a lot while I was in prison, and that's something I will always be upset about.

I was supposed to stand next to my brother, Theodore at his wedding day. I was supposed to be his best man, but I missed that opportunity because of where I was. I really wish I could have been at my brother's wedding to Eleanor, but I couldn't. I have accepted that now, but at the time I was extremely upset.

That isn't all I missed." I kissed Jeanette, "I missed the birth of my child. When Jeanette told me she was pregnant, it was about two months into my sentence. At first, I wanted to get out right then and there, so that I could be there for my wife during the pregnancy, but I couldn't. Now, six months later, she gave birth to my daughter, only a few days before my release. I may have missed the birth, but at least I won't miss my child's life."

A reporter smiled, "What's her name?"

I kissed Jeanette again, "We named her Brittany. Her name is Brittany Seville, after her aunt."

The crowd grew quieter, "How did you feel when you found out about your sister-in-law?"

"That was another thing I wish I would have been out of prison for. When I heard about Brittany's passing, I was devastated. I'd grown so close to her since the shooting, that to lose her was too much to bear. But most of all, I wanted to be there for my brother and my wife."

"What would you say to her if she was here?"

"I would hug her. And I would tell her I loved her. You know, Brittany was egotistical, bossy, insulting and rude. She was so perfect for Alvin. Everything he ever wanted in a wife. But they never really got to spend their lives together."

"Mr. Seville, what do you want people to learn from your case?"

"I don't want them to learn to become vigilantes. I think if there is anything I want people to get out of what I did, it's that you have to fight for yourself. You can't let your own self-doubt get the better of you.

You know, Brittany pled guilty to two murders that were done in self-defense. She never exerted her rights and pled not guilty, because she felt guilty for what she did. Of course, that was mainly because she was only going to get probation for her charge.

For me though, I made a stupid mistake. I let my guilt take over, and even though I knew I was acting in self-defense, I never let any of the evidence proving my innocence out, and I pled guilty to crimes I shouldn't have. That's what I don't want people to do."

"Do you wish Alvin wouldn't have lied?"

"Yes. What he did for me was sweet. It showed me that he cared. It showed me he was willing to sacrifice everything for me, but I wish I would have been able to take the blame from the beginning. All lying did was prolong the inevitable, and get him some probation time for perjury."

"What are you going to do tonight?"

I walked over to Alvin and took Brittany from his arms. "I'm going to spend some time with my baby girl. You know, this is the first time I've ever seen my child. And I'm going to spend time with my family. I haven't spent a night, talking to my wife since I was arrested.

I'm not sure exactly what I'll do. Maybe go to dinner, maybe stay home, but I can tell you that I'm going to spend some time with my family."

"One more question. Actually it's two more. I guess I'm still not understanding the why. Why did you pull the trigger, and why did you just now decide you wanted to leave prison?"

I cleared my throat. "You know, the answer to both questions is the same. I did both things for love. When I protected Brittany, I knew how much Alvin and Brittany loved one another. I didn't want anything to happen to that, so I did everything I could to protect their love. When I decided to ask for a pardon, it was because I was thinking about my wife and how much I loved her. I didn't want to be apart anymore.

I also did it for all of us. That night, I also kept thinking about our family. The six of us were always together, and I couldn't stand the thought of one of us not being with us anymore. I know now, just how hard that really is, and I'm glad that I made that choice. When I was in prison, and I heard of my child, I wanted to get out. I wanted to get out for my new family. So that Jeanette and I could start a life with Brittany."

Alvin and Jeanette walked closer to me. They both put their arms around me, as I wrapped my arms around my beautiful child, Brittany.

And that's the third reason I did both things. I did it for Brittany. I pulled the trigger to save Brittany, my close friend, and I asked for a pardon, to see Brittany, my child.

That's why I made the choices I have made. That's why I killed Ben. That's why I wrote the governor. For Love. For Us. For Brittany."

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><p><strong>AN: And that is the end of this story. I hope everybody enjoyed it, no matter how sad and terrible some parts were… If you enjoyed this story, you should know that I have started a second story. It's called "Guilt" and it is mainly a Theonor story.**

**Well, please let me know how you liked this story by posting a review or sending me a private message, and please check out my other stories!**


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